Machu Picchu Treasures Find Their Way Home… to Peru and to the Heart of Men
After a long dispute, Yale University has just agreed to give back to Peru over
4,000 artefacts of the Inca city Machu Picchu. The impressive collection had
been taken to the United States by Hiram Bingham in 1911, after the scholar made
the major archaeological discovery.
A joint statement from Yale and the Peruvian government describes a
collaborative resolution applauded by the world’s archaeologists,
anthropologists and philosophers. Peru will build a new museum and research
centre in Cusco where the excavated objects will be exhibited. During the
construction of the facility, Yale and Peru will co sponsor an exhibition that
will travel internationally, featuring objects of the collection from Cusco and
Machu Picchu, as well as additional pieces loaned by Peru.
«This understanding represents a new model of international cooperation
providing for the collaborative stewardship of cultural and natural treasures»
said the statement.
This mature resolution is a good reminder that beyond the multiple particular
interests, cultural differences, and geographical boundaries, there is a
timeless cultural and spiritual heritage belonging to the whole humanity. By
opening the minds and the hearts, we open a space for true dialogue and mutual
understanding where unity and commonness triumph over petty selfish interests.
Maybe Machu Picchu has just whispered its very message….
