Olmec Sculptures Returned Home to Mexico

3,000 Year Old Olmec Sculptures Back Home

According to sources in Mexico, two wooden Olmec sculptures that are more than 3,000 years old have been returned from Germany. The rare busts were part of a legal case against Leonardo Patterson, a Costa Rican ‘artifact dealer.’

As part of the investigation, the sculptures were being held at the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection. They have now been returned to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.

The investigation took almost a decade to resolve.

Patterson brought the busts to Germany in 2008, where they were seized. Mexico claims the artifacts were taken illegally from Olmec ruin site of El Manati, in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

No photos of the recovered Olmec sculptures was provided. The photo in this post is of another sculpture.

---

Thanks to Phys.org for this news

Photo credit: Olmec sculpture,  photo by Hajor