r/PrecolumbianEra

A Maya stone lintel was recently returned to Mexico after it was taken to the Mexican consulate in New York by an unnamed US businessman. But hours after its official repatriation on 16 April, experts determined the piece had actually come from Guatemala. Guatemala’s cultural ministry has now formally requested the object’s repatriation from the Mexican government through diplomatic channels.

Guatemala’s cultural ministry said in a statement that technical analysis based on bibliographic research, comparative studies and consultations with archaeologists had concluded that the lintel came from the country’s Petén Basin. Consequently, it is considered part of Guatemala’s cultural heritage.

Guatemala’s cultural minister, Luis Méndez Salinas, said the government has already begun formal efforts to recover the artefact. The process is being coordinated through Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “There is a very positive attitude, as has been the case in recent years, towards this type of collaboration,” Méndez told local media in Guatemala, “so that cultural heritage can return to its place of origin.”

The limestone lintel, dating from the Mesoamerican Classic period (AD600-AD900), shows a complex ritual scene associated with the Maya ruler Cheleew Chan K’inich. The lintel remained hidden from public view for decades and passed through private collections before recently reappearing in New York.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/05/18/guatemala-maya-stone-lintel-mayuy-mexico-repatriation

The "aquilla" (when executed in metal) or "kero" (when made of wood) was the principal ritual libation vessel among the peoples of ancient Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile. This distinctive vessel form has ancient origins but became particularly prevalent during the Early Intermediate Period (100-600 CE). This dynamic time witnessed socio-political intensification and an increase in the numbers of political elites throughout the Andes, with an interconnected multiplication of aristocratic ceremonial events that emphasized hierarchy and authority. The ritual consumption of "chicha" (maize beer), the mildly alcoholic beverage traditionally served in aquillas or keros, was integral to these politically charged social events.
This libation vessel diverges from the typical aquilla's beaker form, being much taller and narrower than most.
The Chimú aquilla is unusually tall and embellished with a frontal face. The choice to execute it in precious silver also marks it as particularly significant, perhaps for an important ceremony or for placement in the tomb of an elite.

I've seen this image of the Moon Goddess a lot, but only as a drawing. What's the original source?

In the prestigious National Geographic magazine, a team of experts claims to have discovered a mythical Inca citadel in Cusco, Peru, that had been lost to time and whose area is four times larger than Machu Picchu.

Description of the discovery at T'aqrachullo:

T'aqrachullo is a complex of ruins located 225 kilometers from the world wonder and about 90 meters above the Apurímac River. Although the site has been known for more than three decades, a series of archaeological discoveries in recent years have changed its significance in the history books.

Interest in T'aqrachullo began to grow after archaeologist Dante Huallpayunca discovered nearly 3,000 gold, silver, and copper sequins in a place that was formerly used as an alpaca corral. This discovery was made in 2022 as part of an excavation project by the Ministry of Culture.

After analysis, it was discovered that these objects date back to the 16th century, a time when they served as adornments for the ceremonial garments of the Inca elite. "Many archaeologists never find anything like this in their entire career", the expert told NatGeo magazine.

However, one of the most surprising details for researchers is that the characteristics of the site coincide with an Inca temple whose whereabouts were previously unknown.

The numerous findings related to the Inca period have led archaeologists to believe that T'aqrachullo is actually Ancocagua, an Inca city described in colonial-era chronicles as one of the most important temples of the Tahuantinsuyo (Inca Empire) and the site of a bloody battle with the Spanish conquistadors.

In an interview with Exitosa, Huallpayunca stated that Ancocagua is a temple as important as Qorikancha, Huanacaure, or Pachacamac. While its existence was known from the writings of the colonial chronicler Pedro Cieza de León, its exact location was unknown until now.

Although the site receives occasional visitors, it lacks a formal tourist circuit like those of other national sites. Investigations are ongoing, and the available findings represent only a fraction of the total complex, so its definitive opening to the public will depend on future conservation efforts and government planning.

Crafted from 57 individual jade tiles, along with obsidian for the pupils, and seashell elements for the nose and mouth adornments

This gilded copper disk featuring a three-dimensional butterfly at its center was produced by Moche metalsmiths on Peru’s North Coast. The ornament was originally cut from a larger sheet of hammered copper and then gilded (Lechtman, 1982; Schorsch, 1998). The disk features a solid roundel at the center surrounded by concentric bands of step motifs. The outermost ring is adorned with gilded dangles suspended by copper bands attached to the back of the disk. There are additional disks at vertices within the roundel yielding what must have been a dazzling spectacle when displayed in the sun. The gilded butterfly is represented with notable attention to anatomical detail, including its spread spotted wings, each inscribed with the wing veins, an abdomen with the sections apparent, and a head inlaid with shell and turquoise eyes. The insect is attached to the main body of the disk by six thin copper legs. These appendages would have permitted a slight movement of the figure as the disk was moved suggesting the idea of flight. The wires that hold the dangles are oriented so that only when the butterfly is pointing up do the dangles hang properly. The cut-out design may suggest a sense of place, as step designs are often associated with architecture: they may represent mirror images of temple steps or a repeating stepped wave design common in representations of buildings in Moche ceramics.

The function of disks such as the present example is unclear. They may have served as shield frontals, attached to a cane backing, but the delicate nature of the butterfly would have made this work impractical in battle. More likely, this disk served as part of the ceremonial regalia deployed in ritual performance. Alternatively, these disks may have been attached to textile banners or wooden supports of some sort. In either case, the presence of only one or two holes for attachment also seems to indicate that disks like this were not used in activities that involved strenuous motion. 

The Moche (also known as the Mochicas) flourished on Peru’s North Coast from AD 200-850, centuries before the rise of the Incas. Over the course of some six centuries, the Moche built thriving regional centers from the Nepeña River Valley in the south to perhaps as far north as the Piura River, near the modern border with Ecuador, developing coastal deserts into rich farmlands and drawing upon the abundant maritime resources of the Pacific Ocean’s Humboldt Current. Although the Moche never formed a single centralized political entity, they shared unifying cultural traits such as religious practices (Donnan, 2010).

This object was said to have been found at the burial site of Loma Negra, which was one of the most northern outposts of Moche culture. Loma Negra works in metal share similar iconography with ceramics and metalwork found at Moche sites father to the south, such as Ucupe (Bourget, 2014). The precise relationship between the Loma Negra and the Moche “heartland” remains a subject of debate, however (Kaulicke, 2006).

These silver hats were originally covered with fabric, as can be seen in the remaining surface pattern. The holes in each side were used for ties. 11” in height.

La Fortaleza de Kuélap, ubicada a 3,000 m.s.n.m. en la región de Amazonas, es una imponente ciudadela preínca construida por la cultura Chachapoyas entre los siglos VI y XVI. Este conjunto arquitectónico destaca por sus monumentales murallas de piedra de hasta 20 metros de altura que protegen más de 400 estructuras circulares decoradas con frisos, funcionando históricamente como un centro político, religioso y militar de difícil acceso. Finalmente La fortaleza de Kuélap fue conquistada por el Imperio Inca alrededor de 1470, tras una feroz resistencia liderada por la cultura Chachapoyas. Debido a sus murallas casi inexpugnables, el Inca Túpac Yupanqui y posteriormente Huayna Cápac no lograron tomarla por asalto directo, sino mediante un prolongado asedio que cortó el suministro de agua y alimentos, obligando a los defensores a rendirse. Tras la caída del sitio, los incas establecieron su control administrativo hasta que la llegada de los españoles en el siglo XVI provocó el abandono definitivo del complejo.

A proposal is being discussed in Mexico City to exhume the remains of Hernán Cortés and transfer them to Spain in exchange for the return of ancient Mayan relics. This move could reshape the approach to historical memory and mark a new stage in relations between the two countries.

Источник: https://russpain.com/en/news-3/mexico-proposes-exchanging-cortes-ashes-for-mayan-codex-memory-diplomacy-451529