MEXICO: Treasure Traffic

Two years ago a small island in the Gulf of Mexico played host to an imposing expedition. Flashing official archaeological permits, a group of 40-odd men arrived to excavate the site of an ancient Maya civilization that flourished in the 7th century A.D. For 45 days the party unearthed thousands of finely wrought, delicately painted Maya ceremonial statues, carted them out to boats. Said one of the diggers on leaving: a find worth millions. Only later did reports come out that the island’s caretaker had been duped: the permits were called forgeries and the “archaeologists” art smugglers.

The mystery of the island was merely the most spectacular recent example of something that occurs almost daily throughout Mexico. By law, not a single item of pre-Columbian culture may be unearthed without permission; no pre-Columbian object of any value may be taken out of the country. Yet the collector’s yen for these objects is so insatiable that local dealers, anthropologists, private Mexican collectors have become smugglers to fill the pipelines to the U.S. and Europe.

Conquered & Collected. The fancy for pre-Columbian art dates back to the conquistadores. At first, only Europe’s artists admired the primitive sculpture. Then, in 1867, when Maximilian’s soldiers returned from Mexico with hundreds of figurines, the collectors’ interest was piqued. One of the earliest finds was the famed stone statue of Goddess Tlazolteotl in the act of childbirth (see cut). A French collector first bought it for a few francs. Current owner: U.S. Collector Robert Woods Bliss, who has it insured for $80.000.

So exciting—and profitable—was the ancient art work that Mexicans started collecting, hired peons and Indians to do their digging. Mexican authorities became conscious of their ancient heritage, prohibited the export of valuable art. Result: a new spurt in excavations and the rise of smuggling. As more exotic relics appeared in the U.S.. such art buffs as Nelson Rockefeller, John Huston, Charles Laughton became avid collectors and paid top prices.

Flown & Faked. In the last ten years, the boom has grown to such proportions that the government has all but given up hope of keeping Mexico’s treasures at home. Some officials are collectors themselves—and not above turning a fast peso on a good piece. They make smuggling ridiculously easy. Reaching the border with a station wagon full of pre-Columbian art, ex-Jockey and Art-Quiz Whiz Billy Pearson was “prepared to start throwing money around.” The customs man demanded only food. “For a case of chilis,” wrote Pearson in his autobiography, “I got through the border.”

Others ran what amounted to an airfreight service with private planes. Hoodlums entered the act, were even able to plunder government-willed collections. Artist Diego Rivera willed his fine collection to Mexico. It was pilfered before the government ever got it. Shortly after Anthropologist-Author Miguel Covarrubias died, some of the best pieces in his top-notch collection (also willed to Mexico) showed up first in a Texas gallery, then in a Manhattan gallery, which sold them to private collectors.

The latest wrinkle in the trade was all but inevitable. With everyone scrambling for pre-Columbian art, local Indians have learned to copy the originals handed to them by dealers, are selling fakes to gullible tourists as fast as they can make them. And some are so well done that even the art dealers get clipped on an occasional imitation Mayan.