The Institute of Archeology has embarked in an anti looting campaign with the hope of protecting our natural heritage and avoiding what happen a few months ago with the Noh Mul Maya Mound which was destroyed by De Mars Stone Company owned by Denny Grijalva.
Dr. Allan Moore, Assistant Coordinator, Inst. of Archaeology
"Well, it entails the conscious looting and the unconscious. The conscious looting is when people organize go out there and really go dig, they go with the objective to find and there is a market out there for it we know as a big north American market and people would be paid to go out there in the jungle to saciar out there as they say in Spanish and find stuff for them and take up to north America and sale. Then you would have the people who would just go and have stuff on their farm find a little pot in the caves and then they sale it whatever means they use to get their artifact it doesn't matter to us what matter is when they sale it this is one piece less that is gone."
According to Dr. Allan Moore, Assistant Coordinator for the Institute of Archaeology, it is important for the public to be aware of the procedures that need to be followed if they come across an artifact.
Dr. Allan Moore, Assistant Coordinator, Inst. of Archaeology
"There is a process if you come in contact with an artifact you can call the department, I don't thing we are that such a bad guys that would just come and have the police when you are trying to do good, we are trying the police for those who are doing bad so if you find an artifact you can report to us and we will ask you to bring it in or we will come to you and then we will have it register and you get a license to get that piece so you don't have to break it you don't have to throw it away and this is how we are being able to get other pieces and people because when they hear that the department of archeology or police they want to throw it or break it or destroy it or just get rid of it, we don't want that on the contrary we want you to bring it to us and if you are bringing it to us why should we penalize you, we register it you can keep it but it is not yours it is for the country it is for the people that you can possess it, you can't trade it, you can't give it away, you just keep until such time that you no longer wanted and then it goes back to the department. The penalties can go to from five thousand to ten thousand dollars it depends on the amount, on the volume and what you have but it can be fined and confined meaning that you can be fined monetary fine and can be put in prison."
Today Moore and other representatives of the department also met with Officers attached to the Orange Walk Police Department. We'll bring you that story later on in the newscast.
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