Peru recovers 98 artifacts from U.S., Argentina

Lima, Mar। 03 (ANDINA)। Peru said on Wednesday it has recovered 98 archeological pieces dating back to the pre-Inca and colonial eras from the United States and

Among them, an exquisitely carved and painted stone in 45 pieces, which was part of a 18th century church's portico in the southern Andean region, came under the spotlight।

Also returned to Peru were 26 boulders, 12 skulls and a polychrome ceramic figure.

The United States repatriated 84 pieces and Argentina returned 14 pre-Colombian objects, Peruvian Deputy Foreign Minister Nestor Pompolizio said.

Thanks to the efforts of Peruvian diplomats abroad, more than 5,000 pieces of artifacts have been returned to Peru since 2007, Vice Culture Minister Bernardo Roca Rey said.

In January, the South American country, which is dotted with hundreds of archeological sites, had 27 objects repatriated from Chile, according to a Xinhua report.

"The illegal trafficking of cultural goods is a profitable trade which continues and makes so complex networks just like drug trafficking and money laundering," Pompolizio said. "So it is necessary to set up a smooth coordination mechanism between national and international entities."

Peru has signed more than 30 bilateral agreements to protect its cultural heritage. According to one pact signed late last year, Yale University in the United States will return to Peru 363 pieces excavated from the Machu Picchu archeological site in the coming days.