The discovery of 60 pre-Hispanic artifacts in a town in Oaxaca has set social media ablaze. The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and Señor Blue, a history and archaeology influencer who shared photos of the discovery on his social media over the weekend, have become embroiled in accusations and disputes.
The public entity issued a statement asking citizens, journalists, and content creators to “exercise due care when disseminating information about archaeological sites not open to the public.” The message was immediately flooded with complaints from people who claim to have contacted the agency about past discoveries, only to have artifacts removed and never seen again. “There are countless examples to understand how dozens or even hundreds of archaeological sites in Mexico have been left to their own devices,” one post reads, for instance.
The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) warned content creators to report responsibly, as otherwise they could encourage the looting of archaeological sites by revealing their precise location or providing clues about their whereabouts. “It is everyone’s responsibility to care for and preserve our heritage for future generations, avoiding misinformation that confuses and promotes looting and the destruction of the pre-Hispanic legacy of the people of Oaxaca and Mexico.”
It all started when a woman from the community of San Pedro Jaltepetongo went to the fields to gather epazote for some beans she was preparing and came across a hole in the ground about 10 centimeters deep. She inserted a reed she had with her to measure the depth and found soil a meter and a half below, almost the length of her reed. She returned home and told her husband, who was with another man, and they decided to go out and see what it was. “They shone a flashlight inside and immediately saw the remains,” recounts Yaotzin Nell Mejía (Oaxaca, 38 years old), known as Señor Blue, via video call. The residents contacted him to tell him what had happened.
The discovery gained media attention when Mejía published a series of photographs of the remains. “It got out of control in the media. I don’t know where they got the information.” The residents contacted him because, weeks earlier, they wanted the YouTuber to investigate some tombs found and restored by the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) in the 1990s. “I went to the mayor to ask for permission to do this, but they kept putting me off,” Mejía explains.
In an information card, the INAH confirmed the authenticity of the pre-Hispanic remains in San Pedro Jaltepetongo. “The collection of 60 archaeological artifacts found was part of a pre-Hispanic funerary context, corresponding to the Late Postclassic period (1300–1521 CE), and exhibits distinctive characteristics of the Mixtec cultural tradition.” Each object was labeled and photographed, following the established protocols for its registration in the Single System of Public Registry of Archaeological and Historical Monuments and Zones. The community was also informed about the preliminary documentation and cleaning work that will need to be carried out, according to the document.
However, the process to reach this point was longer, and this is what worries the residents of the area. After the discovery in San Pedro Jaltepetongo, one of the men called his uncle, the landowner, who told them to call the mayor, but they had no luck. They then contacted the municipal trustee’s office, which authorized the removal of the artifacts, provided that the representative from the Communal Property office was present as a witness. When he arrived, accompanied by other members of the town council, they dug, entered, and removed the artifacts.
Mejía says the villagers have relied on him because they fear that the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) will “sell the pieces on the black market.” The content creator recounts that years ago, in the town of San Francisco Cajonos, in the Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca, six tombs were discovered, and INAH personnel worked there for weeks. “They explained to the villagers what they had found and then left,” he says. A few years later, a young man from the community who came to study at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) received a flyer announcing an exhibition of San Francisco Cajonos and its treasures.
The student contacted the townspeople, and the mayor at the time requested the return of the artifacts. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) agreed on the condition that a museum be built. “It’s actually very beautiful, made of pink quarry stone, and it’s located across from the municipal palace.” Mejía claims to have infiltrated Facebook groups of archaeologists where pieces are offered for sale, and some of these individuals display their INAH employee credentials—with some information censored, such as their names—to demonstrate that the pieces are authentic. EL PAÍS contacted INAH staff to clarify these allegations, but at the time of publication, no response had been received.
Source: elpais
