The Market for Mesoamerica: Reflections on the Sale of Pre-Columbian Antiquities (Maya Studies)

Discussions on the illicit trafficking of precolonial cultural heritage items Pre-Columbian artifacts are among the most popular items on the international antiquities market, yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor these items as public, private, and digital sales proliferate. This timely volume explores past, current, and future policies and trends concerning the sales and illicit movement of artifacts from Mesoamerica to museums and private collections. Informed by the fields of anthropology, economics, law, and criminology, contributors critically analyze practices of research and collecting in Central American countries. They assess the circulation of looted and forged artifacts on the art market and in museums and examine government and institutional policies aimed at fighting trafficking. They also ask if and how scholars can use materials removed from their context to interpret the past. The theft of cultural heritage items from their places of origin is a topic of intense contemporary discussion, and The Market for Mesoamerica updates our knowledge of this issue by presenting undocumented and illicit antiquities within a regional and global context. Through discussion of transparency, accountability, and ethical practice, this volume ultimately considers how antiquities can be protected and studied through effective policy and professional practice. Contributors: Cara G. Tremain | Donna Yates | Martin Berger | Allison Davis | James Doyle | Rosemary Joyce | Nancy L. Kelker | Guido Krempel | Christina Luke | Sofia Paredes Maury | Adam Sellen A volume in the series Maya Studies, edited by Diane Z. Chase and Arlen F. Chase Les objets précolombiens sont parmi les plus populaires sur le marché international des antiquités, mais il devient de plus en plus difficile de surveiller ces objets à mesure que les ventes publiques, privées et numériques prolifèrent. Ce volume pertinent examine les politiques et tendances passées, actuelles et futures concernant la vente et le mouvement illicite d'objets d'art de Mésoamérique vers les musées et les collections privées. S'appuyant sur les domaines de l'anthropologie, de l'économie, du droit et de la criminologie, les auteurs analysent de manière critique les pratiques de recherche et de collecte dans les pays d'Amérique centrale. Ils évaluent la circulation des objets pillés et contrefaits sur le marché de l'art et dans les musées et examinent les politiques gouvernementales et institutionnelles visant à lutter contre le trafic. Ils se demandent également si et comment les chercheurs peuvent utiliser des matériaux sortis de leur contexte pour expliquer le passé. Le vol d'objets du patrimoine culturel dans leur lieu d'origine est un sujet de discussion contemporaine intense, et The Market for Mesoamerica renouvelle nos connaissances sur cette question en présentant des antiquités non documentées et illicites dans un contexte régional et mondial. En abordant la question de la transparence, de la responsabilité et de la pratique éthique, ce volume examine en fin de compte comment les antiquités peuvent être protégées et étudiées par une politique et une pratique professionnelle efficaces "Pre-Columbian artifacts are among the most popular items on the international antiquities market, yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor these items as public, private, and digital sales proliferate. This timely volume explores past, current, and future policies and trends concerning the sales and illicit movement of artifacts from Mesoamerica to museums and private collections. Informed by the fields of anthropology, economics, law, and criminology, contributors critically analyze practices of research and collecting in Central American countries. They assess the circulation of looted and forged artifacts on the art market and in museums and examine government and institutional policies aimed at fighting trafficking. They also ask if and how scholars can use materials removed from their context to interpret the past. The theft of cultural heritage items from their places of origin is a topic of intense contemporary discussion, and The Market for Mesoamerica updates our knowledge of this issue by presenting undocumented and illicit antiquities within a regional and global context. Through discussion of transparency, accountability, and ethical practice, this volume ultimately considers how antiquities can be protected and studied through effective policy and professional practice."-- Publisher's website Cover 1 The Market for Mesoamerica 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Foreword 10 Preface 14 1. Making Markets for Mesoamerican Antiquities 18 2. U.S. Collaboration with Mesoamerican Countries to Protect Cultural Property 33 3. Corporatism, Heritage, and Museums: Rigmarole in Central America, 1899–1950 54 4. There and Back Again: Looting, Trafficking Culture, and the Management of Cultural Heritage in Guatemala 78 5. The Odyssey of Piedras Negras Stela 5 104 6. “From a Cave near Tehuacán”: An Attempt to Reassemble Post-Classic Mesoamerican Ritual Deposits Separated by the Art Market 129 7. Ancient Zapotec Material Culture and the Antiquities Market 153 8. Forgery and the Pre-Columbian Art Market 167 9. The Many Lives of Maya Antiquities: Tracking Distribution and Redistribution through Auction Catalogues 187 10. Failures and Consequences of Antiquities Antitrafficking Policy in Mesoamerica 206 List of Contributors 222 Index 224 This book will explore past, current, and future policies and trends concerning the sale of antiquities from Mesoamerica. Having outlined gaps in our knowledge, this book seeks to identify the substantive steps that the academic community can take toward affecting transparency, accountability, and ethical practice within the Pre-Columbian antiquities market