Sacred art stolen from Yucatecan churches

YUCATON TIMES

In the last 12 years the disappearance of around one thousand pieces of Catholic temples has been reported, of which 80% is sacred art, and only 10% has been recovered.

YUCATAN, Mexico---“The theft of sacred art in the country is not so frequent, but it occurs because there is a black market. Although Yucatan does not figure in the first places, it is not exempt of this type of crimes”, said priest Jorge Martínez Ruz, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Yucatán. Although Mexico is the second country with the largest number of Catholics in the world, it occupies the first place in sacred art theft in all Latin America. According to data from the Attorney General’s Office of Mexico City, in the last 15 years at least 250 robberies of pieces of historical value have been recorded within Catholic churches across the country. 42% of the robberies to temples are committed by organized groups that are dedicated to the international traffic of pieces of art and unfortunately, they operate with absolute impunity in Mexico. [More]