Press conference May 16 at 10:30 a.m. CDT at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago

CHICAGO, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA), in collaboration with the Government of Mexico, announced today it is facilitating the repatriation of a Mayan frieze to its place of origin in Mexico.

A press conference regarding the transfer of the ancient artifact will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. CDT at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., Chicago. Media to RSVP with Alive@nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org

Anthropologist Diego Prieto Hernández, Director General of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), a branch of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, will be present to accept the artifact, following the standard examination and condition reporting of the ancient piece. Dr. Antonio Saborit, Director of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, will also be present.

The limestone frieze dates between 500 - 900 CE, during the Classic Period of Maya civilization in Mexico. It depicts a figure wearing an elaborate mask and headdress with hands extended as if speaking – Originally, there were two figures facing one another. The frieze measures 119x53x9.5 cm. (47"x 21"x 4")

The artifact, which was held in a private collection, was displayed at the Brooklyn Museum in the 1960s and 1970s and at the Art Institute of Chicago in the late 1980s. Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan acquired the piece in 1988, and in 2024, their family sought the National Museum of Mexican Art's assistance in returning the sculpture to Mexico.

On February 1, 2025, the NMMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with INAH to continue collaborating on projects and exhibitions that promote Mexico's cultural patrimony. The NMMA Visual Arts Department worked with INAH to coordinate an orderly transfer of the Maya frieze. INAH has full normative and guiding power in the protection and conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This Mexican institution, founded in 1939, researches, preserves and disseminates the nation's archaeological, anthropological, historical, and paleontological heritage in order to strengthen the identity and memory of the society that holds it.

Anthropologist Diego Prieto emphasized that "through this act we wish to attest the significance for the Mexican Government to recover our archaeological and historical heritage, and in general the cultural patrimony of Mexicans that is improperly residing in other countries."

"Our mission compels us to advocate for practices that promote equity and acknowledge the significance of cultural heritage for communities worldwide," said Cesáreo Moreno, Visual Arts Director for the NMMA. "By acknowledging the importance of cultural heritage to its originating communities, we promote a richer and more nuanced understanding of humanity."

"We are honored to collaborate on this repatriation mission with our colleagues at the National Institute of Anthropology and History and the National Museum of Anthropology. We encourage institutions that collect cultural objects to engage in open, respectful, and proactive dialogue with the communities and countries from which they originate," Moreno said.

About the National Museum of Mexican Art
The National Museum of Mexican Art is one of the country's most prominent Latino cultural organizations and the only nationally accredited museum dedicated to Mexican art and culture. Its Permanent Collection consists of more than 20,000 artworks. The museum has presented over 250 exhibitions, provides arts education to 52,000 students annually, and serves over 150,000 annual visitors from 60 countries. Admission is always free.

www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org.

Media Contacts:
Alivé Piliado
395313@email4pr.com
312.433.3916

Eva Penar
395313@email4pr.com 
312.810.4066

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SOURCE National Museum of Mexican Art