The sculpture, now known as the Earth Beast, likely emerged from central Mexico in the 1960s and remained for some time in the hands of collectors as well as in public galleries before being found by anti-terrorism agents. -traffic working with New York prosecutors.
The symbol-filled artifact weighs nearly a ton and was likely found decades before it left Mexico at an archaeological site in the state of Morelos, just south of Mexico City.
US officials coordinated with their Mexican counterparts the process of returning the sculpture a few days ago.
The piece was carved out of volcanic rock between 800 and 400 BC during the height of the Olmec civilization, one of Mexico’s oldest societies that lived near the Gulf of Mexico coast.
The Olmec peoples were famous for their advanced artistic traditions, including their colossal sculptures in the shape of human heads.
Some say the sculpture may have been used in rituals as a sacred passage.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard welcomed the sculpture’s return to his country, saying before it arrived on a plane: “It gives us a glimpse of our origins.”
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