SAN FRANCISCO—Last week, reports surfaced that 96 percent of artifacts at the Mexican Museum in San Francisco are forgeries. Museum officials addressed those claims on Thursday, July 13.
It was reported that only 83 of the museum’s 2,000 pre-Hispanic relics are authentic; the remaining 1,917 were believed to be decor. Eduardo Pérez de Heredia Puente, an associate of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City, issued a 14-page report stating these findings.
Reports state that when the museum was cultivated in 1975, it was known as a community destination that accepted local donations for their exhibits. As of 2012, it is an affiliate of the Smithsonian, and museum officials believe that artifacts contained in the facility must meet particular standards to be displayed. According to Andrew Kluger, the museum’s chairman, the museum is to be recognized on a national scale that is expected to meet Smithsonian requirements.
“What was misinterpreted was the fact that all the other pieces were not authentic is absolutely incorrect. It just has to go through a process,” Kluger indicated in a statement.
The “process” entails a closer examination of the artifacts, including efforts to date them, which will better determine the authenticity of each piece. Museum crew members emphasize these analyses, as they are planning on relocating to a larger facility, the Yerba Buena Center, in 2019 at the earliest.
