Peruvians feel robbed over US courts turning over salvaged treasure to former colonial ruler
Peruvians feel robbed over US courts turning over salvaged treasure to former colonial ruler
By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, March 13, 1:46 AM
LIMA, Peru We were robbed! Thats how many Peruvians feel, now that U.S. courts have given Spain the 17 tons of silver and gold coins that a private company salvaged from the wreck of a colonial-era Spanish sailing ship.
The treasures origin is not in dispute. The metals were mined and the coins minted in the Andes. The Spanish navy frigate that was carrying them to Spain exploded during an attack by British warships in 1804.
Peru argued it should get the precious metal recovered from the Nuestra Senora de Las Mercedes. But its legal case was sunk in large part by a historical fact: This country was, at the time, a Spanish dependency. It didnt gain independence until 1821, the last bastion of Spanish rule in South America.
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Many Peruvians, however, feel they are entitled to the booty because of colonial Spains violent, exploitative legacy. Countless natives of the Andes were forced to abandon home and family and toil in life-choking conditions extracting ore underground.
More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/peruvians-feel-robbed-over-us-courts-turning-over-salvaged-treasure-to-former-colonial-ruler/2012/03/13/gIQAqMyt8R_story.html