One of the four lintels belonging to a secondary site of the kingdom of Yaxchilán, which was located between Chiapas and Guatemala, would be in the process of recovery, after a private businessman delivered the piece of limestone with Mayan engravings to Mexico.
The piece, which according to archaeologist Stephen Houston of Brown University, was located by an explorer around 1950—who withheld information about its location due to his desire to write about it— It would be a limestone lintel originating from a secondary site that belongs to the kingdom of Yaxchilán.
The archaeologist maintains that the piece belongs to Guatemala and that it comes from the Classic Mesoamerican period (600 to 900 AD). Furthermore, it would be one of the four lintels that were removed from the country, which is why the Ministry of Culture and Sports has initiated actions for its recovery.
Stephen Houston highlighted that the whereabouts of the other three lintels remain in the United States: two in private collections and another in the Kimbell Museum, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Given the uncertainty about the recovery process of the piece, Prensa Libre spoke with the Minister of Culture and Sports, Luis Méndez Salinas, who shared that, since the issue was made known on April 17, the ministry has followed up on the case, especially through the institutions related to illicit trafficking, the General Directorate of Cultural and Natural Heritage and the Vice Ministry of Heritage.
He indicated that they are working on a file that allows Guatemala to support a formal request for its recovery.
Luis Méndez Salinas explained that the process will be carried out through diplomatic channels, between the State of Guatemala and the State of Mexico, in order to recover the piece. He explained that the request is intended to be completed as soon as possible to transfer it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will carry out the corresponding management.
The head of the portfolio assured that he has received communication from several professionals, who have provided information about this lintel of Mayan origin, which will be part of the support that will be presented in the formal recovery request. Derived from this immediate follow-up, the Research and Registration Directorate of the General Directorate of Cultural and Natural Heritage issued the corresponding technical opinion.
“This analysis concludes that, based on the bibliographic information collected, the contributions of specialized archaeologists and the comparative studies carried out, the so-called Lintel 1 comes from the archaeological site El Túnel, located in the department of Petén, which is why it is determined that it is part of the Cultural Heritage of the Nation and therefore protected by Government Decree 26-97”: emphasizes the Ministry of Culture.
The recovery of the lintel also opened discussion on social networks about the recovery of archaeological pieces. In this regard, the official pointed out that there is no specific data on how many pieces were extracted from Guatemala and that it would be difficult to identify them, because the legislation to guard, protect and safeguard cultural heritage is relatively recent, while many extractions occurred centuries ago.
Méndez Salinas added that for centuries there was a flow of bibliographic, archaeological, artistic pieces and other goods that today are considered heritage and that should not have left the country. However, they are currently part of private collections or are in other spaces, so their recovery through legal processes is complex, since many have documentation that supports their possession.
Guatemala seeks to recover lintel belonging to a secondary site of the kingdom of Yaxchilán, which was located between Chiapas and Guatemala. (Free Press Photo: EFE)
Is the state of the Mayan lintel known?
Given the doubt about the condition of the Mayan lintel, the official indicated that, for the moment, they have focused on establishing the diplomatic route to request its recovery. However, he pointed out that, from what was observed, the piece could be in good condition, since the relief still remains and the glyphs are legible.
“It seems to me that it will be very important to have this piece back,” said Minister Méndez Salinas, since it comes from an area that has been little studied and that has been “historically depredated.”
Likewise, the minister highlighted that the fact that this piece has left the country is relevant due to its volume, which shows the need to adopt “urgent measures” to strengthen the State’s capacity to control archaeological sites and close the borders to illicit traffic that affects the archaeological, scientific and cultural value of the country.
Regarding the importance of its recovery, the minister indicated that the piece provides historical content, such as dates, names and facts that enrich the history and culture of the country.
For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex) highlighted that it has initiated the corresponding communications with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the governing body of the matter, to follow up on the available information.
Minister of Culture and Sports, Luis Méndez Salinas speaks with Prensa Libre, about the recovery of the Mayan Lintel. (Free Press Photo: Erick Ávila)