| Remote Toledo Village Writes To British Museum: We Want Our Relics And Remains Back |
| Fri, May 2, 2025 |
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Belize has joined a growing list of countries seeking the return of cultural artifacts from the British Museum. But this call isn't coming from the government, or NICH-it's from the village of San Benito Poite in remote southwestern Belize.
The village sits on the site of Pusilha, an ancient Maya city. Between 1928 and 1931, British Museum expeditions removed carved stelae, altars, pottery, and even human remains-without consent from the Maya people.
Now, village leaders have submitted a formal resolution to the museum, demanding the return of those items and calling them the rightful heritage of their community. The resolution includes seven demands: the return of the relics, a $1 million repatriation grant to build a visitor center, a scholarship fund for local students to study Maya culture, and support for a community program on Pusilha's history.
None of the relics are on display. Many remain in storage, and some are not even catalogued. The British Museum has admitted it lacks legal title to the Pusilha collection.
The British Museum says it's reviewing the request, and a response is expected in two months.
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