The Mixtec skull, which was most probably acquired through grave robbery and purchased in the 1960s, is inlaid with mosaic stones.
Although both the skull and the stones date from an earlier period, research has shown that the glue used is actually from the 20th century. This means that the skull and the mosaic stones were not assembled in their present state until relatively recently.
Mexico requested the skull’s return. Although human remains fall outside the policy framework for colonial collections due to the ethical dimension, returning human remains is in principle possible in the case of specific requests.
The decision to return the skull was previously published in the Government Gazette, in keeping with the standard procedure laid down in the Heritage Act.
Whether the skull went back to Oaxaca, the heartland of the Mixtecs, is not known. Usually, restitution of looted art is handled from state to state.
