2,000-year-old ancient Mayan vase purchased by US woman for $4 returned to Mexico
A Mexican vase, estimated to be between 1,200 and 1,800 years old, has been returned to the North American country after being purchased for less than $5 at a thrift store in the United States.
Anne Lee Dozier, who acquired the vase around 2019 from the 2A Thrift Store in Clinton, Maryland, found it on a clearance shelf near the checkout register.
Initially, Dozier thought the vase was old, perhaps by a few decades, but not ancient. As a human rights advocate working with Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and with experience among Indigenous communities in Mexico, she felt a connection to the vase, suspecting it might have origins in Mexico.
The period from which the vase originates is often regarded as the pinnacle of the Maya civilization, a society that experienced a decline due to various factors, including drought, internal strife, and the impact of European conquest.
The circumstances of how the vase came to rest at a Maryland thrift store are still a mystery. However, the recovery of the vase has been officially acknowledged by Mexico’s cultural institute in Washington DC.
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Dozier, in an interview with the local CBS affiliate WUSA after the ceremony said, “I am thrilled to have played a part in its repatriation story. Giving it back feels so much better than it would if I put it [up for sale online] and I got a bunch of money.”
