Netherlands returns skull inlaid with mosaic to Mexico

The Netherlands has returned a human skull inlaid with mosaic from the national collection of the Wereldmuseum to Mexico, Minister Eppo Bruins of Education, Culture, and Science announced.

Mexico asked for the human skull to be returned and the Ministry handed it over to the Mexican embassy on Thursday.

“The skull was part of the collection of the Wereldmuseum in Leiden and was purchased in the 1960s,” the Ministry said. It is likely of Mixtec origin and is inlaid with mosaic tiles.

“Although the handling of human remains falls outside the policy framework of colonial collections due to the ethical context, the return of human remains is the starting point for specific requests,” the Ministry said.

The Netherlands has granted several requests from other countries to return art taken during the colonial period. In September, the government agreed to return 288 cultural objects from the Dutch National Collection to Indonesia. Last year, it also agreed to return art and cultural objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka.