Colombia Demands Return of 34 Ancient Sculptures from Berlin Museum
Colombia is demanding the return of 34 ancient stone sculptures from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) in Berlin, currently held in the Ethnological Museum. The sculptures, originating from the San Agustín Archaeological Park in the Andes, were allegedly illegally acquired by German ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuß around 1920. The indigenous Yanakuna people consider the grave guardians spiritually significant and fear an imbalance due to their absence. In 2021, Colombia submitted a repatriation request, but SPK President Hermann Parzinger rejected it in January 2025, arguing the objects are pre-Christian and not from a colonial context. Colombian activists and the 'Pueblo Escultor' initiative reject this reasoning. Researcher David Dellenback also found 14 unrecorded artworks from Nariño in the Berlin depot. The case remains under negotiation.
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