Peru threatens to sue Yale over Machu Picchu artifacts

Ever since the U.S. explorer Hiram Bingham discovered the site of Machu Picchu in 1911, Yale University became the proud owner of the ancient Peruvian artifacts. There has been much controversy over the ownership of these Inca artifacts.
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Between 1912 and 1915, the Yale university historian shipped out crates of artifacts from the archaeological site.These large expeditions to the Inca civilization site were backed by National Geographic. Permission was sought from the then Peruvian President Augusto Leguia. However, today Peru is threatening to sue the Ivy League school if the artifacts are not returned to where they were found.

The contemporary Peruvian govt. thinks that the permission was misunderstood or it was given illegally. This is not time people are arguing over the artifacts. Since 1820, the Greece demanded the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum. In yet another recent case, Italy asked the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art to return the Euphronios Krater.
I think maybe it’s time that India claim the artifacts back from the British museums. Personally, I think that these claims are valid. I feel that the historical artifacts should always be returned to where they belong. Without the artifacts, Peru won’t be able to prove the fact that the site belonged to the Incas.

Image Credit:Machupicchu
Tags: Yale, Machu, Picchu, Historical artifacts, Travel