I think the reason that I feel so strongly about repatriation is because I can relate. I understand what it feels like to go to National Museums in my home country and see replicas of things when I should be seeing the originals. I am lucky because I have a chance to perhaps travel to see the original artifacts, but what about those who are less fortunate? Those who may have an even closer connection to the artifact due to ancestral ties?
Yes, I am a proud Mexican. Everybody knows this: I praise my home country every chance I get. But I am also European. My grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents were European. Thus, I am a European Mexican, not an indigenous Mexican. So I have to wonder, if these artifacts are so important to me, how important must they be for those whose families have been in the Americas for centuries? Whose ancestors were perhaps Aztecs, Mayans, Mexicas, etc?
My mother once confessed to me that when I was born she wanted to name me Xochitl, which means flower in Nahuatl. I think this demonstrates the connection that we, as Mexicans, feel to the history and culture of our homeland, even if others may consider us "less" Mexican due to our skin tone or origin.
Just as in the United States, Native Mexican culture is a living culture. It lives on not only in the language (Nahuatl has been spoken since the 7th century C.E.!!) but also in the customs of the people. There is a living memory, told through rituals and oral stories. And yet, these people were thought of as 'primitive' by the conquistadores who then stole all their most precious artifacts and housed them in fabulous museums throughout Europe, where they can still be seen today.
I say it's time to rectify this situation and give these people back what is theirs. Young Mexican children in elementary school should be able to go on a fieldtrip to the National Museum of Anthropology and see the original artifacts that they learn about since first grade.
Which brings me to the actual point I wanted to discuss in this post: The Penacho de Moctezuma (Headdress of Moctezuma), currently in the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, should be repatriated to Mexico.
Mexico has been fighting to regain the artifact since the 20th century, all to no avail. Austria claims that it would loan the artifact to Mexico in exchange for other artifacts, but at the same time the feeling in Mexico is that Austria distrusts Mexico and the loan will, in fact, never happen. (see the story here – sorry, it's in Spanish, but google translate does wonders!)
I dislike this idea of a loan, since the artifact should not be LOANED, it should be RETURNED. It's as if I steal your pen but then let you "borrow" it to write the date, insisting you must give it back to me afterwards. Am I really loaning it to you if it's actually yours? Yes, this brings up the nasty arguments of ownership laws and the statute of limitations, which I will steer clear of in this post, instead focusing on the importance and cultural significance of the artifact.
To whom does the Penacho mean more? Yes, the artifact has been in Vienna for quite some time and is 'part of the identity' of the Museum (sound familiar? Hint, British Museum), but do Austrian children grow up learning about the Aztecs and their last known rulers who faced Hernán Cortéz? Are they told of the wonders and horrors of Aztec civilization (which I've mentioned before) and its fast demise at the hand of the Spaniards? And more specifically, are they told about this particular artifact in that context?
I suspect the answer is no. I do know, however, from personal experience, that Mexican children grow up learning about this, both the good and the bad. And I remember, as a child with no notion of what cultural heritage was and unaware of the many conventions dealing with ownership, ethics, and repatriation, being incensed at seeing a replica in front of me instead of the actual artifact (when the artifact still exists) upon a visit to the National Museum of Anthropology. Many things have changed since that day; I am more than a decade older, and I'd like to think, wiser, yet that emotion remains the same. Why should any country that is not Mexico, or even Latin American, hold this rare artifact?
Case in point: A Museum should not house an artifact if it can't even get the minor details of said artifact correct. It is Moctezuma, not Montezuma!
I rest my case.
Yes, I am a proud Mexican. Everybody knows this: I praise my home country every chance I get. But I am also European. My grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents were European. Thus, I am a European Mexican, not an indigenous Mexican. So I have to wonder, if these artifacts are so important to me, how important must they be for those whose families have been in the Americas for centuries? Whose ancestors were perhaps Aztecs, Mayans, Mexicas, etc?
My mother once confessed to me that when I was born she wanted to name me Xochitl, which means flower in Nahuatl. I think this demonstrates the connection that we, as Mexicans, feel to the history and culture of our homeland, even if others may consider us "less" Mexican due to our skin tone or origin.
Just as in the United States, Native Mexican culture is a living culture. It lives on not only in the language (Nahuatl has been spoken since the 7th century C.E.!!) but also in the customs of the people. There is a living memory, told through rituals and oral stories. And yet, these people were thought of as 'primitive' by the conquistadores who then stole all their most precious artifacts and housed them in fabulous museums throughout Europe, where they can still be seen today.
I say it's time to rectify this situation and give these people back what is theirs. Young Mexican children in elementary school should be able to go on a fieldtrip to the National Museum of Anthropology and see the original artifacts that they learn about since first grade.
Which brings me to the actual point I wanted to discuss in this post: The Penacho de Moctezuma (Headdress of Moctezuma), currently in the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, should be repatriated to Mexico.
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| Penacho de Moctezuma in Vienna, 1.16 m tall |
Mexico has been fighting to regain the artifact since the 20th century, all to no avail. Austria claims that it would loan the artifact to Mexico in exchange for other artifacts, but at the same time the feeling in Mexico is that Austria distrusts Mexico and the loan will, in fact, never happen. (see the story here – sorry, it's in Spanish, but google translate does wonders!)
I dislike this idea of a loan, since the artifact should not be LOANED, it should be RETURNED. It's as if I steal your pen but then let you "borrow" it to write the date, insisting you must give it back to me afterwards. Am I really loaning it to you if it's actually yours? Yes, this brings up the nasty arguments of ownership laws and the statute of limitations, which I will steer clear of in this post, instead focusing on the importance and cultural significance of the artifact.
To whom does the Penacho mean more? Yes, the artifact has been in Vienna for quite some time and is 'part of the identity' of the Museum (sound familiar? Hint, British Museum), but do Austrian children grow up learning about the Aztecs and their last known rulers who faced Hernán Cortéz? Are they told of the wonders and horrors of Aztec civilization (which I've mentioned before) and its fast demise at the hand of the Spaniards? And more specifically, are they told about this particular artifact in that context?
I suspect the answer is no. I do know, however, from personal experience, that Mexican children grow up learning about this, both the good and the bad. And I remember, as a child with no notion of what cultural heritage was and unaware of the many conventions dealing with ownership, ethics, and repatriation, being incensed at seeing a replica in front of me instead of the actual artifact (when the artifact still exists) upon a visit to the National Museum of Anthropology. Many things have changed since that day; I am more than a decade older, and I'd like to think, wiser, yet that emotion remains the same. Why should any country that is not Mexico, or even Latin American, hold this rare artifact?
Case in point: A Museum should not house an artifact if it can't even get the minor details of said artifact correct. It is Moctezuma, not Montezuma!
I rest my case.
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| Bonus picture: a closeup of the gold detailing of the Penacho |
Honestly, I think most Austrians would probably agree with you and gladly return the penacho. I was lucky to visit the museum once and it was DESERTED, especially the mesoamerican area, and it was pretty sad to see such a symbol of Mexican identity lost in a big collection, with nobody to admire it! I bet if it were in Mexico it would have hundreds of visitors a day!
ReplyDeleteI say se start a petition to repatriate the Penacho to it's home! Sign me up! :o)
Que Viena nos regress el penacho y que Canadá nos regrese a Ani :)!!!
ReplyDelete