The return of the statue was the result of a decades-long effort among archeologists and officials working in stolen antiquities. The artifact was a six-foot-by-five-foot Olmec Cave Mask, also known as a Portal al Inframundo (“passage to the underworld”), depicting the Olmec jaguar god Tepeyollotlicuhti with its flaring eyes and gaping mouth. Eventually, this ancient hell gate wound up in Denver in 2023 and, finally, authorities from the Antiquities Trafficking Unit based in New York City secured the masterpiece. Unfortunately, the Tepeyollotlicuhti portal is only one example of the many priceless antiquities that have been looted from native lands and now illegally reside—both knowingly and unknowingly—in collections and museums around the world. But as pressure rises for museums to return these prized treasures, maybe they’ll also get a long-awaited trip back home one day.