Peru Memo: Artifact dispute continues after discussions stall

Yale and Peru inched closer to court this summer, as a nearly century-old controversy over Inca artifacts grew even more complex in a few short months.

Just under a year ago, on Sept. 14, 2007, the University and the government of Peru claimed to have found consensus regarding the rightful ownership of artifacts excavated from Machu Picchu in the early 20th century by Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III. But whatever progress was made last fall seemed squandered when Peru threatened litigation in April, and the negotiations did not fare much better over the summer, as Yale hired a lawyer in Peru, an important meeting between the parties ended up being largely trivial and National Geographic made a brief — yet fracturing — appearance in Lima.

The Peruvian Consulate in New York was host to negotiations on Aug. 25 that could have marked a return to good relations between Yale and Peru. University General Counsel Dorothy Robinson confirmed to the News that she and other Yale officials attended the meeting, but did not comment further; Yale spokesman Tom Conroy called the talks “informative.” Conroy added in the e-mail, however, that the absence of Hernan Garrido-Lecca, Peru’s chief negotiator with Yale, limited the extent to which the parties could advance the negotiations at that session.