July 17 (UPI) -- Italy returned to Mexico a collection of 27 pre-Columbian archaeological artifacts and fossils recovered during separate investigations into the illicit trafficking of cultural property, authorities from both countries said.
The handover occurred Thursday at the Mexican Embassy in Rome, where the Italian Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Unit officially delivered the items to Mexico's ambassador to Italy, Genaro Lozano.
The artifacts will be transferred to Mexico after being cataloged by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the institute said.
The collection includes three Teotihuacan heads dating from 200 B.C. to A.D. 650, two Maya terracotta figurines from the Early Classic period, a tripod bowl, 16 other pre-Columbian artifacts and three Late Cretaceous fossil fish, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
The artifacts were recovered during investigations carried out by Italian authorities in Florence, Rome, Monza, Ancona and Venice.
