Peru dispute still unresolved
Peruvian negotiation leader: A deal is ‘something I cannot foresee’ soon
Although Machu Picchu has long been referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas,” there’s very little that now seems “lost” about the site that draws over half a million tourists each year.
Except, some Peruvians argue, for the Inca artifacts excavated from the site by Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III between 1911 and 1915 — artifacts which are currently housed at the Peabody Museum. Yale’s possession of these pieces has been a source of controversy in Peru and has sparked repeated attempts at negotiation between the University and the Peruvian government in recent years.
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If after almost a century of use in research and you still haven't found what you're looking for, Yale stop being greedy and let ALL the artifacts go back to Peru where they belong and allow the ghosts of the Lost City rest in peace.
But Koechlin, the Peruvian involved with the negotiations, emphasized that the question of ownership of the artifacts is not just a legal one but also a moral one, and it must not be just a political one.
“A legal question can be presented,” he said. “But it’s a question of the spirit of the law, of morality.”
This is exactly right. Yale needs to think morally -- not legally. Send the artifacts back!
great article. it's clear that the political situation with peru is chaotic at best. but yale should still agree to give back all the artifacts at once. the time has come -- 97 years is plenty of time.