Peruvian artifacts are on their way home after a century away, thanks to an agreement between the Peruvian government and Yale University.

In late 2010, representatives from both parties agreed to end a long-standing dispute over the ownerships of artifacts taken from Machu Picchu in 1912, a year after Yale University alumnus Hiram Bingham helped rediscover the site and bring it to the world’s attention.

Today, Machu Picchu is a source of pride for the country and is one of Peru’s main money-makers, bringing swarms of international tourists to the country every year. In 1998, after Yale refused to send nearly 40,000 artifacts back to Peru, Peru sued the university in US federal court. Yale argued the artifacts, which Peru initially lent to the Peabody Museum in Connecticut for advanced study, had been gifted permanently and “finders keepers.” Displeased, thousands of Peruvians marched in Lima with Peruvian President Alan Garcia in protest, and in 2010 Garcia appealed directly to US President Barack Obama for the safe return of the Incan pieces.

machu picchu tours – Machu Picchu is the most visited site in Peru, and one of the top tourist destinations in all of South America. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Historic Sanctuary and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

According to the agreement, Yale is to begin returning the artifacts in 2011. Only 400 of them are museum quality, and those pieces are to be displayed in a Cusco museum currently under construction. Peru’s Ministry of Culture and the San Antonio Abad del Cusco National University—the institution now responsible for the care of these pieces—signed an agreement in early 2011 outlining the proper use and care of the artifacts. Yale showed signs of concession and agreement prior to 2010, but rejected any agreement that did not include a provision for the artifact care; other argued no provisions should be required.

President Garcia spoke about the initial agreement in November 2010, saying: “The Peruvian government is thankful for this decision and recognizes that Yale conserved these pieces, which otherwise might have fallen into private collections or been lost, and recognizes the research it conducted over the years.”

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