The arrival of the 'Monster of the Earth' to the Regional Museum of the Peoples of Morelos, in Cuernavaca.INAH
The Earth Monster, the most sought-after Olmec jewel, has returned to Mexico after spending at least 50 years on the U.S. border. The archaeological piece will be exposed from this Thursday at the Regional Museum of the Peoples of Morelos (Palacio de Cortés) temporarily. Later, and although they have not marked the dates on the calendar, it will be returned to the archaeological zone of Chalcatzingo (Morelos), "from where it should never have left," according to the director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Diego Prieto.
"The historical importance of this archaeological piece, more than 2,500 years old, is compared to that of the iconic colossal heads of the Olmec culture. This is also an Olmec piece, but very distant from the original area of Olmec culture," Prieto said during the president's morning conference. The Olmec culture had its center of roots between the southern part of Veracruz and in the State of Tabasco, hundreds of kilometers from the place where the monster of the Earth was originally built.
The monumental piece – more than a ton and about 1.80 meters high – arrived at the Cuernavaca International Airport by the hand of a Hercules, one of the planes of the Mexican Air Force, on May 19. The American Antiquities Trafficking Unit of Manhattan found the piece at the end of March, although it was in Denver (Colorado).
The authorities have tried to clarify since when the Portal of the Underworld – another of the names it receives – was on the US border. So far they have not managed to date either the exact day or year. "It is unknown when he left the country. But, thanks to a publication by archaeologist David Grove in 1968, it is intuited that it was in the United States since the mid-twentieth century. We work with the elderly of Chalcatzingo. Some saw the piece and how they came with deception to take the monolith, "said Prieto.
The iconic piece was stolen from the archaeological site of Chalcatzingo, characterized by the large number of stone reliefs that offer great information about the worldview of the Olmecs. Monument 9 of Chalcatzingo, its original name, represents a fantastic creature, whose jaws show access to the Underworld. Archaeologist Mario Córdova Tello commented at the time of the discovery that its elements "simulate being branches of bromeliads [a type of plant]," "an identity trait of the original inhabitants of the city."
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