The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has officially completed the repatriation of a collection of 5th-century Nazca polychrome textiles to the Peruvian government. These exceptionally preserved artifacts, featuring intricate depictions of shamanic rituals and mythological figures, were illegally removed from the coastal desert of southern Peru in the mid-20th century. The return marks the culmination of a decade-long provenance investigation into the museum's pre-Columbian holdings.
Peruvian Minister of Culture highlighted the significance of the return, noting that these textiles represent the pinnacle of Andean weaving technology and cosmic symbolism. The artifacts are scheduled for immediate exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History in Lima, where they will be integrated into a new wing dedicated to ancestral repatriation efforts and the study of pre-Colonial heritage.