Priceless artifacts looted in Coahuila archaeological zone

Subjects stole archaeological pieces of incalculable historical value in the La Lagartija ravine, an emblematic rock art site located in the Valle del Hundido, 67 kilometers from the municipal seat of Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila.

Among the stolen pieces is an indigenous representation that is more than 400 years old, including a painting of a red hand, which was one of the main tourist attractions of the place.

The looting was reported by tourist guides who frequently took visitors to the site. According to local media, the criminals used tools such as drills and grinders to remove the rock paintings, causing irreparable damage to a heritage that is part of the cultural memory of the region.

This is not the first case of archaeological theft in Coahuila. In 1996, the mummy known as “Jorita” was stolen and later recovered in an operation in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, when it was being crossed into the United States.

Years later, in 2008, 1,043 archaeological pieces disappeared from the local House of Culture, of which only some were recovered in 2015 thanks to the intervention of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) of the United States.

Francisco Aguilar Moreno, representative of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Coahuila, has asked the state government to reinforce surveillance at archaeological sites and work together to protect the heritage of the region.

Source: excelsior