THE mystery of an ancient 3,000-year-old “door to hell” dedicated to an Aztec god has been solved after it was stolen from a hidden cave.
The Mexican artefact, called the Olmec Cave Mask, was looted in the early 1960s but has finally been returned to Mexico after a 64 year hunt.
Dating back almost 3,000 years, the 2,000lb artifact depicts the jaguar god Tepeyollotlicuhti, with large oval eyes, flaring nostrils and a gaping mouth.
It was only in May that authorities figured out the artefact had been looted, following years of confusion and bewilderment over its disappearance.
But following a joint investigation by prosecutors in Manhattan with Homeland Security, it was seized last month.
It remains unclear if anyone will face criminal charges relating to the sculpture.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. announced Thursday in a press release that the mask is “extraordinarily rare” and had been crafted as far back as 800 B.C.E. in Mexico.
“Representing of the pᴀssage to the afterworld, the hulking Olmec Cave Mask guarded the entrance to a ceremonial cave at the archaeological site Chalcatzingo, Mexico,” the statement read.
“This incredible, ancient piece is a rare window into the past of Olmec society,” Bragg added.
The district attorney revealed how those who had looted the mask had ending up smashing it into different pieces to make it easier to smuggle.
It ended up being sent to different museums and private collections across the United States for nearly 60 years.
“The Cave Mask can finally return to sit with the rest of its companion monuments,” Bragg said.
