Colombia

U.S. Protection of Archaeological and Ethnological Materials

I. U.S. and Colombian Actions
II. Background
III. Categories of Artifacts Subject to Import Restriction
IV. Import Regulations
V. For More Information

I. U.S. and Colombian Actions

§         On 15 March 2006, the U.S. and Colombia signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to impose import restrictions on certain pre-Columbian archaeological artifacts and ecclesiastical ethnological materials originating in Colombia.

§         US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes, on the right in the photograph below, and Colombian Minister of Culture Elvira Cuervo de Jaramillo, on the left, share a handshake at the signing ceremony in Bogotá, Colombia.

II. Background

U.S. actions were in response to requests from the Government of the Republic of Colombia made under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

With respect to the 2006 Agreement, it was found that the pre-Columbian cultures of Colombia achieved a high degree of technological, agricultural, and artistic achievement, but that the systematic study of these ancient peoples is still in its early stages. Colombia’s archaeological sites and their contents are the only window into this distant past, and they must be protected so that scholars can study them systematically.  These remarkable resources are vulnerable to pillage, but while much has been lost, the Government of Colombia has made great strides in raising public awareness regarding the importance of the heritage to the future of the country. Colonial period ecclesiastical ethnological materials were also found to be subject to pillage. These objects are deeply meaningful for those who witness their ceremonial and ritual use.  They continue to connect people to their past and to their cultural identity.

III. Categories of Artifacts Subject to Import Restriction

A. The 2006 Agreement

A complete list is published in the Federal Register notice of March 17, 2006. (A PDF version may also be found through the link above, right.) The Colombia Image Collection illustrates the list.

Restricted archaeological materials range in date from approximately 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1530, and include objects comprised of ceramics, textiles, metals, stone, shell, bone, wood and basketry.

Restricted ethnological materials range in date from A.D. 1530 to 1830, and include 1) original documents and incunabula, and 2) objects used for rituals and religious ceremonies including Colonial religious art, such as paintings and sculpture, reliquaries, altars, altar objects, and liturgical vestments.

IV. Import Regulations

A. 2006 Agreement

Objects listed in the Federal Register notice associated with this agreement may enter the U.S. if they have a valid export permit issued by Colombian authorities, or verifiable documentation that they left Colombia prior to the effective date of this restriction: March 17, 2006.   

B. 1973 Pre-Columbian Monumental Sculpture…

Additionally, as stipulated in the 1973 Pre-Columbian Monumental or Architectural Sculpture or Murals Statute, monumental or architectural sculpture or murals may be imported into the U.S. only with a valid export license issued by the authorities in the country of origin, or verifiable documentation that they left the country of origin prior to June 1, 1973.

V. For More Information

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Revised:  15 March 2006

SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING: 

Colombia Image Collection

2006 Agreement (English) (Español)

2006 Federal Register Notice

Colombia Designated List (.pdf)

Frequently Asked Questions