The Ancient Mayan vase found at a thrift store by Anne Lee Dozier. (Mexico's ambassador to the US Esteban Moctezuma Barragan)

Mexico has reclaimed an ancient Mayan vase that had been lost, after a US woman purchased the artifact for under $5 at a thrift store.

Anne Lee Dozier was recently honored by the Mexican embassy in Washington DC for her efforts in returning the 1,200- to 1,800-year-old vase to its homeland.

“A valuable witness of our Maya history returns home … thanks to the generosity of Anne Lee Dozier,” Mexico’s ambassador to the US, Esteban Moctezuma Barragan, wrote on X. “This historic jewel will be reintegrated within the collection of [Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology and History] to preserve our rich cultural heritage.”

Un valioso testigo de nuestra historia maya regresa a su hogar 🇲🇽#México.
Gracias a la generosidad de Anne Lee Dozier, ciudadana estadounidense, recuperamos una vasija clásica, datada entre el 200 y 800 d.C. Esta joya histórica será reintegrada al acervo del @INAHmx para… pic.twitter.com/ySsF1vCU5k
— Esteban Moctezuma Barragán (@emoctezumab) June 18, 2024

She recounted to National Public Radio in a recent article published on Friday the unusual story of how she acquired the vase. Dozier purchased the artifact around 2019 from the 2A Thrift Store in Clinton, Maryland. It caught her eye while sitting on a clearance shelf near the checkout register.

Dozier believed the vase appeared aged, estimating it to be no more than three decades old, as she explained to NPR. As a human rights advocate affiliated with Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Dozier had prior experience working alongside Indigenous communities in Mexico. She found the pottery intriguing because she sensed it might have originated from or had some connection to the country.

“I thought it would be just a nice little thing to take home and put on the shelf and to remind me of Mexico,” Dozier told NPR.

Contacting the museum

During a work trip to Mexico City in January, Dozier visited the National Anthropology Museum where she noticed other Maya vases on display that resembled the one she had at home, NPR reported. While initially uncertain about its authenticity, she decided to report her thrift store discovery to a museum official. Following the official's suggestion, she contacted the Mexican embassy and provided them with photos and a description of the vase. Subsequently, the National Anthropology Museum confirmed that her vase was indeed an authentic relic, prompting Mexico to request its return.

“I got an email saying, ‘Congratulations – it’s real and we would like it back,’” Dozier said.

Barragan mentioned on X that the vase originated from the period between AD 200 and 800. As NPR pointed out, this timeframe is recognized as the peak of the Maya civilization, which later declined due to factors like drought, internal conflicts, and the European conquest.

Specific details on how the vase ended up in a thrift store in Maryland were not immediately available. Nevertheless, Mexico's cultural institute in Washington DC celebrated the recovery of the vase in a ceremony held on Monday.

It is worth noting that Mexico has been on a mission to retrieve thousands of archeological objects that were unlawfully stolen from the nation.