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What Is Cultural Property?

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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

 

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Objects and Artifacts

An object from the Federal Register may be imported into the U.S. if they have an export permit issued by Guatemala. Objects considered protected under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be of pre-Columbian origin from between 2000 B.C.E. and 1524 C.E. (the Spanish invasion). This includes Polychrome ceramic vessels, figurines, whistles, and stamps ; and artifacts of jade, obsidian, flint, alabaster, calcite, shell and bone. An object without a permit issue must have documentation that verifies that it left Guatemalan borders before: April 15, 1991 for Peten objects, and for archaeological material from Peten, and October 3, 1997, for other archaeological material.

All cultural property in Guatemala is vested in the State; thus exportation of it is forbidden without a permit from . Duplicates of objects in the collections of national museums may be exported, and only for temporary loans.

Importing

So, if you want to buy a Maya Black-Slipped Bowl (3) , to import it you must

1. Verify the location of origin of the object, as this will determine its location on the Federal Register of resricted objects
   1. Peten Cutoff: April 15, 1991
   2. Guatemal Overall Cutoff : October 3, 1997
2. verify that your object is genuine, and determine its age within the appropriate time periods
3. contact the appropriate officials in Guatemala to obtain documents for its release

Guatemala Minstry of Education

Ministro de Educación
Ministerio de Educación
6 Calle 1-87 Zona 10
GUATEMALA

Tel: (50.2) 306 06 24 - 360 08 84
Fax: 50.2) 360 06 24 ext. 119
e-mail: [email protected]