The current inhabitants of Amecameca, located to the east of Mexico City, called in archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History when they saw that artifacts had been uncovered by road crews working in their town. “We don’t want them to just bury this and run the highway over the top of it. We want them to return the artifacts, so we can display them in a museum for the community,” said Maria de los Angeles Eusebio, a local retired anthropologist.

In Beijing, the protected home of Liang Sicheng, dubbed the father of modern Chinese architecture, was destroyed by developers over the New Year holiday. Liang is also remembered for his desire to preserve old Beijing after China’s revolution. “It is the worst case of demolition of cultural heritage in Beijing for years,” said Kong Fanshi, director of Beijing’s Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Construction work at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, has uncovered a wooden barge. On-site archaeologist Lynette Lambert is examining the find. “It will take a few days to determine what it is exactly we have unearthed or how big it is,” she said.

A collection of Maya artifacts has been turned over to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. It had belonged to Hector Arana, who was one of the first tour guides in the Yucatan.

Robert Hecht, Jr., has died at the age of 92. This obituary in The Los Angeles Times tells the story of his career as an antiquities dealer and of his recent criminal trial in Rome on charges of trafficking in looted antiquities.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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