The Market for Mesoamerica: Reflections on the Sale of Pre-Columbian Antiquities

Pre-Columbian artifacts are popular on the international antiquities market, but it is difficult to monitor their sales and illicit movement. This volume explores past, current, and future policies and trends concerning the sales and illicit movement of artifacts from Mesoamerica to museums and private collections. It assesses the circulation of looted and forged artifacts and examines government and institutional policies aimed at fighting trafficking. It also considers how antiquities can be protected and studied through effective policy and professional practice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 09 January 2024
Publisher: University Press of Florida

Pre-Columbian artifacts are highly sought-after items in the international antiquities market, but monitoring these items has become increasingly challenging due to the proliferation of public, private, and digital sales. This timely volume delves into past, current, and future policies and trends related to the sales and illicit movement of artifacts from Mesoamerica to museums and private collections. Drawing from the fields of anthropology, economics, law, and criminology, the contributors critically analyze research and collecting practices in Central American countries. They examine the circulation of looted and forged artifacts on the art market and in museums, as well as government and institutional policies aimed at combating trafficking. Additionally, they explore the ethical considerations of using materials removed from their cultural context to interpret the past.

The theft of cultural heritage items from their places of origin is a pressing concern in today's world, and The Market for Mesoamerica provides valuable insights into this issue. By presenting undocumented and illicit antiquities within a regional and global context, the volume updates our knowledge of this topic. Through discussions of transparency, accountability, and ethical practice, the book ultimately considers how antiquities can be protected and studied through effective policy and professional practice.

Contributors to this volume include renowned experts in the field, such as Cara G. Tremain, Donna Yates, Martin Berger, Allison Davis, James Doyle, Rosemary Joyce, Nancy L. Kelker, Guido Krempel, Christina Luke, Sofia Paredes Maury, and Adam Sellen. Their diverse perspectives and expertise contribute to the richness and depth of the discussions presented in the book.

Weight: 342g
Dimension: 151 x 228 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813080406