Peru sues Yale over Machu Picchu Relics

After almost a century of dispute, the Republic of Peru has filed a lawsuit against Yale University in a U.S. federal court in an attempt to recover thousands of Inca artifacts removed from the Machu Picchu jungle ruins.
www.reuters.com...

The South American nation said Yale has more than 40,000 pieces — a valuable mix of mummies, pottery and jewelry — taken by U.S. explorer and Yale alumnus Hiram Bingham after he rediscovered the ancient city in 1911.

dailycontributor.com...

Mummies and all. There is not to much public teaching of the meso america mummies. Id love to see all those relics he found.

And rightly so they should sue. Those artifacts are their cultural heritage. It should be respected.

Give em back I say!
Damn straight skippy

And while we are discussing ancient artifacts have the Britts give back all the egyptian stuff to.

Yes but that expidetion may have been funded by someone else and the government refused to provide it.

To me, that is like Africa or Canada saying debeers has to give back all the diamonds because they were mined there.

BUT,
there should be a collaboration that Yale must have some artificats displayed there, or tour in Peru, or on loan for the country to study or benefit from.

I bet if it was an average citizen, a US agency would be knocking down the front door to confiscate the artifacts.

I would expect them to do the same to Yale.

Originally posted by nixie_nox


To me, that is like Africa or Canada saying debeers has to give back all the diamonds because they were mined there.

I would beg to differ. I'm all for America having some cool artifacts in our Museums and all that, but in the end it's their national treasure!

Loaning it to us or letting our better universities analize them sure but give it back when we are done.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
To me, that is like Africa or Canada saying debeers has to give back all the diamonds because they were mined there.

There's a heck of a difference between a jewel and an artistic creation. One is dug out of the ground and polished, the other is hand-made and reflects the cultural history of a people.

I'm with SLAYER on this. They should go back and Yale can ask for temporary possesion for study purposes.

The Nazis stole art during WWII and Germany is still being made to return it to the rightful owners.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Yes but that expidetion may have been funded by someone else and the government refused to provide it.

To me, that is like Africa or Canada saying debeers has to give back all the diamonds because they were mined there.

This is a little different.
The people who mined the diamonds in Africa got paid for doing that work. The diamonds aren't their ancient cultural heritage.

They should be the property of Peru, if Yale or a museum wants the stuff, they should have to pay for it, or pay a fee while it's in their possession.

If Peru has recieved no compensation at all, for something that is their rightful property, and ancient cultural heritage, they have a word for that.
It's called theft.

Edit: Exactly masqua star for you and damn you for beating me to the punch.


[edit on 12-12-2008 by ashamedamerican]

reply to post by masqua


All I am trying to say is, that if the country/city didn't want anything to do with the expedition, say they gave a go ahead for someone else to do it, but then when the work is done they now want it back. I don't think that would be fair.

I am on the fence about a lot of these things. Like people who find a forgotten sunken pirate ship. The country/municipal/whoever never looked for it, didn't care about it, but all of a sudden claims it. That I don't believe is fair.

It is one thing if it is forcibly taken, like during WWII. But it is another if it is given permission.

I don't know enough about that excavation to know the situation surrounding it.

I am alll for the preservation of artifacts. And I think what the country plans on doing with them needs to be put into question.Now if the country wants to preserve them and put them on display themselves, then I think Yale should have the decency to release them.

People are going to visit Machu Pichu with artifacts or no.I would LOVE to see it.

Don't forget the contect of the times

It was considered perfectly legitmate at that time to take artifacts back to the west from third world countries. The reasons for that are.

1. The items couldn't be studied in those countries, there were no academic organizations capable of studying them - that has now changed.

2. The governments were weak and were noted for corruption- if you didn't take them someone else would. Now mostly corrected.

3. The countries had no money or organization to display them - now mostly corrected - and in some cases these things can be tourist draws.

Should the items now be given back? Yes, but not all, a loan and lease system is necessary. When you go to a museum in Germany you should be able to see materials from all over the world, and vice versa.

I wouldn't recommend culturalcentric museums.