Mexican authorities have announced that a giant stone statue, referred to as an "Earth monster" and originating from the Olmec civilization that existed before the Christian era, has been recovered from the United States.
The elaborately carved statue weighs more than a ton and is nearly six feet (1.8 meters) tall and five feet (1.5 meters) wide, the National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH) said in a release.
"Our Consul Jorge Islas in New York confirms to me that Mexico's most sought Olmec piece has been recovered and is about to return home, from where it never should have been taken," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted.
The Olmec civilization was an ancient Mesoamerican civilization that emerged in the tropical lowlands of what is now Mexico, around 1400 B.C. It is considered one of the earliest and most influential cultures of the region, and it is known for its impressive stone sculptures, complex calendar system, and distinctive artistic style.
The Olmec civilization declined and disappeared around 400 B.C., but its cultural and artistic legacy continued to influence later Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya and Aztecs.
The institute said it believes the statue was created sometime between 800-400 B.C.
Known as Monument 9 of Chalcatzingo and found in the central Mexican state of Morelos, the bas-relief piece is believed to represent an "Earth monster," a creature that often appears in Olmec iconography, INAH said.
The open jaws of the piece symbolize access to the underworld and "on its mouth is projected a sequence of three concentric bands, representing the cruciform access to a cavern," it added.
Although it is not known how and when it was illegally taken from Chalcatzingo, "it is documented that it was made public in 1968, by the archaeologist David Grove in the magazine American Antiquity. From there it is thought that at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, it was already in the United States," the statement said.
New York authorities recovered the monument, but the press release did not specify where it was found.
As part of the Mexican government's effort to rescue historical heritage taken from the country, almost 10,000 goods have been recovered since 2018, authorities said.