Last Thursday, France returned to Peru three archaeological pieces that were seized at the Charles de Gaulle French airport in 2007 and belong to the Chancay and Chimú culture, between 1100 and 1450 DC.
“The French Customs director general, Rodolphe Gintz, delivered the three pieces to the ambassador of Peru in France, Cristina Ronquillo, at an event held within the framework of the Latin American and Caribbean Week in France”, Deutsche Welle informed.
The pieces consist of two ceramic sculptures that represent anthropomorphic characters known as “Cuchimilcos” and a wooden carved stick with the same character. They were seized on March 5, 2007 in a package from Peru, addressed to an individual in France.
“The three pieces were accompanied by a document that ensured that they were replicas, but an expert from the customs service examined them and confirmed their authenticity”, DW said.
The experts said that the pieces come from a region in the central coast of Peru between the Chillón River and the Huaura River and they can’t be exported without the authorization of the Peruvian Government since the act is considered as illegal trafficking.
