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Yale delegation heads to Peru over Machu Picchu

By LivinginPeru.com

(11/19/2010)A Yale University delegation will travel to Peru during this weekend to discuss the return of around 40 thousand archaeological artifacts found in Machu Picchu a century ago, reported AFP and Andina.

“We will be hosting a Yale delegation in the next 48 hours to talk about this issue," said Peruvian president Alan García.

He added that his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama is “well informed” about Peru's demand for Yale to return the Machu Picchu relics.

In a letter sent Tuesday, Nov. 2, García formally asked Obama to assist in efforts to have artifacts currently held at Yale but discovered at the ancient city of Machu Picchu returned to Peru.

He added that it is "just and necessary" for Obama to help Peru in this matter.

The Peruvian government has been locked in a seven-year battle with Yale over the artifacts, which included ceramics, gold and silver ornaments, and bones that explorer Hiram Bingham brought to Yale between 1912 and 1916 on loan from Peru, but never returned.

Peru claims the university has some 46,000 items, but Yale says there are only 5500, of which 330 are museum quality. The university has argued it has legal possession of the archaeological pieces.

Early this month, Garcia asked President Barack Obama to help Peru recover the archaeological pieces.

Last week, Culture Minister Juan Ossio said Yale and the Peruvian government were negotiating an agreement for the artifacts' return.

"I think management of this issue is well underway and we will soon have positive news," he said.

In 2007, Peru filed a lawsuit against Yale in a Connecticut court and the Garcia government encouraged street protests in Peru to press its claims.