Mixtec skull from Wereldmuseum Leiden collection returned to Mexico
In response to a request by the Mexican government, Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins has decided to return a human skull which is part of the Dutch State Collection of Wereldmuseum Leiden to Mexico. Today, the Ministry handed over the skull to the Mexican embassy in The Hague.
The skull, which was purchased in the 1960s, was part of the collection of Wereldmuseum Leiden. Presumed to be of Mixtec origin, it 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.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2024/12/12/mixtec-skull-from-wereldmuseum-leiden-collection-returned-to-mexico
