Yale yields Peru relics
Source: Agencies |
November 21, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PERU'S president announced on Friday that Yale University has agreed to return thousands of artifacts taken away from the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu nearly a century ago.
The university issued a statement a few hours later expressing satisfaction at the results of its talks with Peru. The artifacts had been at the center of a bitter dispute for years, with Peru filing a lawsuit in US court against the school.
President Alan Garcia said the government reached a deal with Yale for the university to begin sending back more than 4,000 objects, including pottery, textiles and bones, early in 2011 after an inventory of the pieces is completed.
He said the agreement came after Yale's representative, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, came to Peru for talks on resolving the fight.
"We are very pleased that Yale University has responded so positively," Garcia said at the Government Palace. Garcia quoted Zedillo as saying Yale decided to return "all goods, pieces and parts" that were taken from Machu Picchu by scholar Hiram Bingham III between 1911 and 1915.
In a statement, the university said it "is very pleased with the positive developments in the discussions" with Peru.
"It has always been Yale's desire to reach an agreement that honors Peru's rich history and cultural heritage and recognizes the world's interest in ongoing public and scholarly access to that heritage," the statement said.
Peru's government had waged an aggressive international media campaign in recent weeks seeking to pressure the school over the artifacts. That included a letter from Garcia to President Barack Obama seeking the US leader's help.
The Machu Picchu ruins, sitting 2,400 meters above sea level on an Andean mountaintop, are Peru's main tourist attraction. The complex of stone buildings was built in the 1400s by the Inca empire that ruled Peru before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century.
The university issued a statement a few hours later expressing satisfaction at the results of its talks with Peru. The artifacts had been at the center of a bitter dispute for years, with Peru filing a lawsuit in US court against the school.
President Alan Garcia said the government reached a deal with Yale for the university to begin sending back more than 4,000 objects, including pottery, textiles and bones, early in 2011 after an inventory of the pieces is completed.
He said the agreement came after Yale's representative, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, came to Peru for talks on resolving the fight.
"We are very pleased that Yale University has responded so positively," Garcia said at the Government Palace. Garcia quoted Zedillo as saying Yale decided to return "all goods, pieces and parts" that were taken from Machu Picchu by scholar Hiram Bingham III between 1911 and 1915.
In a statement, the university said it "is very pleased with the positive developments in the discussions" with Peru.
"It has always been Yale's desire to reach an agreement that honors Peru's rich history and cultural heritage and recognizes the world's interest in ongoing public and scholarly access to that heritage," the statement said.
Peru's government had waged an aggressive international media campaign in recent weeks seeking to pressure the school over the artifacts. That included a letter from Garcia to President Barack Obama seeking the US leader's help.
The Machu Picchu ruins, sitting 2,400 meters above sea level on an Andean mountaintop, are Peru's main tourist attraction. The complex of stone buildings was built in the 1400s by the Inca empire that ruled Peru before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
