A lost ancient Mayan vase has been recovered by Mexico thanks to a keen-eyed shopper in the United States. Anne Lee Dozier, a resident of Washington DC, purchased the artifact for a mere $4 at a thrift store, unaware of its true significance.
The vase, estimated to be between 1,200 and 1,800 years old, was later identified as a Mayan relic. Dozier played a crucial role in reuniting the artifact with its homeland and recently received an expression of gratitude from the Mexican embassy in Washington DC.
"A valuable witness of our Maya history returns home ... thanks to the generosity of Anne Lee Dozier," Mexico's ambassador to the US, Esteban Moctezuma Barragan, wrote on X. "This historic jewel will be reintegrated within the collection of [Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology and History] to preserve our rich cultural heritage."
Un valioso testigo de nuestra historia maya regresa a su hogar 🇲🇽#México.
— Esteban Moctezuma Barragán (@emoctezumab) June 18, 2024
Gracias a la generosidad de Anne Lee Dozier, ciudadana estadounidense, recuperamos una vasija clásica, datada entre el 200 y 800 d.C. Esta joya histórica será reintegrada al acervo del @INAHmx para… pic.twitter.com/ySsF1vCU5k
"It looked old-ish, but I thought maybe 20, 30 years old and some kind of tourist reproduction thing so I brought it home," Ms Dozier told WUSA-TV.
Ms Dozier and her family returned the vase to Mexican Ambassador Estaban Moctezuma Barragan in a ceremony held at the Cultural Institute of Mexico.
"I am thrilled to have played a part in it's repatriation story. I would like it to go back to its rightful place and to where it belongs," she said, "But I also want it out of my home because I have three little boys and I have been petrified, well it's gone now, but I was petrified that after two-thousand years I would be the one to wreck it!"
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