The Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage has handed over several archaeological pieces to the Historical Heritage Service of the Island Cabildo of Lanzarote: eight aboriginal lithic plaques, to be precise, donated by a private individual who had received these materials as part of an inheritance in 1993.
As for the inventory of the pieces, most were made from chalcedony in ochre, brown and black tones, and only one of them is made of conglomerate lithic material. These are highly characteristic remains, present in the archaeological sites of the Majo people.
The eight indigenous plaques were worked into unique morphologies, of different shapes and sizes, and were found in a cave in Lanzarote whose location was known only to the late aunt of Mr Gustavo Muñoz, who handed the materials over to the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage in Gran Canaria.
Some of these items have grooves or channels; in addition, there is a very singular piece with the archetypal ellipsoidal “hook” shape, although it is incomplete as the end of the “hook” has not survived.
Following this procedure, custody of the eight archaeological pieces passes into the hands of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, as established by Law 11/19 of 25 April on the Cultural Heritage of the Canary Islands, in article 4.3: “Efforts shall be made, by agreement of the competent museums or centres, to return pieces to their island of origin, guaranteeing their proper display, custody and conservation”.