Monument 9

Monumental Olmec carved relief known as Portal to the Underworld / Earth Monster which was illegally removed from Mexico in the 1960's

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U.S. Embassy Mexico

Monument 9 (2026) by US Embassy MexicoCyArk

Taking a Closer Look

About 1.8 m tall, 1.5 m wide, and roughly one tonne, its open-mouth form is understood as a threshold to the underworld in Olmec cosmology.

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Loss and Identification

The sculpture was illegally removed in the 20th century, likely in the 1950s–1960s, and remained outside Mexico for decades, circulating through private collections in the United States while archaeologists’ documentation helped track and substantiate its identity and origin.

Monument 9 Returns to Mexico (2023) by Secretaría de CulturaCyArk

Bringing Monument 9 home!

Repatriated in May 2023 after an investigation with Mexican authorities and the Manhattan DA’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, Monument 9 was transported back to Mexico with Mexican Air Force support, conserved in Cuernavaca, and unveiled on Feb 18, 2025 at the Chalcatzingo Museum.

A collaborative effort

Learn about the different actors involved in the repatriation process

Repatriated Artifacts Returned to Mexico (2026) by US Embassy MexicoCyArk

Keep Learning About Repatriation

Explore more artifacts

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

CyArk

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