The looting of cultural property is one of the oldest forms of organised cross-border crime and has become a global phenomenon that ranks high on the list of priority concerns for customs administrations. In this regard, the Argentine Customs reported this Sunday (09.07.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX) that he has recovered One of 1.500 copies of the Declaration of Independence which, on August 13, 1816, the supreme director Juan Martín de Pueyrredón ordered to be printed to inform the country and the world that we were free and independent from colonialist Spain.
"The document is of utmost importance given that the original handwritten document, signed by the representatives of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, disappeared without a trace," Customs said.
The 1.500 copies - now considered originals - bear a certifying imprint. Only a few have survived in museums and archives over the past 200 years, making them genuine national treasures.
In 1916, when the celebrations for the Centennial of Independence were being prepared, President Victorino de la Plaza ordered a search for the original handwritten document, without success. President Arturo Illia did the same fifty years later, but the original document is still missing today.
Specifically, the operation began thanks to the international exchange of information, since the Ministry of Culture of Peru alerted about the theft of a handwritten book, written between 1772 and 1773.
Customs response to trafficking in cultural goods
In an effort to address this problem, an investigation revealed that the document was for sale in a virtual bookstore specializing in the sale of rare and antique books, based in Buenos Aires. It was in this context that the Argentine Customs intervened with the Economic Criminal Court and carried out eight raids in different addresses in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA).
During such operations, the agency headed by Guillermo Michel recovered books, paintings and even gold Rolex watches, all of which lacked the proper supporting documentation. Among the heritage treasures found was the aforementioned printed copy of the Argentine Declaration of Independence, made a month after the original.
In addition, the book that Peru was claiming was found and returned.
In this regard, Michel said: “We recovered a fundamental piece of our national heritage, which has great historical and symbolic value. I would like to highlight the work of the customs agents who prevented a fundamental part of our history from leaving the country.”
It is worth noting that the recovered minutes reflect the amendment made on July 19, 1816, at the request of Pedro Medrano, in a secret session: the deputy had requested to add that we would not only be independent from King Ferdinand VII, his successors and metropolis, but also from any other foreign domination.
“The recovery of this document does not only mean enforcing customs laws and safeguarding cultural heritage. It also means an act of national sovereignty, of caring for the collective memory of our nation – from the present and rooted in the past, looking to the future. The piece is a primary source for historical research,” Michel concluded.
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