Chile authorizes the export of archaeological samples to laboratories in the US and Spain

The Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, through the Undersecretariat of Cultural Heritage, authorized the departure from the national territory of dozens of archaeological and biological samples destined for laboratories in the United States, Spain, France, and South Africa, for the purpose of conducting isotopic analyses, radiocarbon dating, and genetic studies. The authorization was formalized in exempt decree No. 77, dated August 26, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,545 on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in the General Regulations section (official reference CVE 2864106).

The decision is based on the ruling of the Comptroller General of the Republic, which requires a ministerial decree for the extraction of archaeological samples for scientific purposes, and on the prior authorization of the Council of National Monuments, which approved the requests in its sessions on June 3 and 24, and July 1 and 8, 2026. The administrative act was signed by order of the President of the Republic by Minister Juan Francisco Undurraga Gazitúa and transcribed by Undersecretary Emilio de la Cerda Errázuriz.

Samples from the Museum of La Serena and the Pucará de Turi

The bulk of the authorization corresponds to 67 bioanthropological samples extracted from the collections of the Archaeological Museum of La Serena, in the Coquimbo Region, within the framework of the Fondecyt 1251233 project regarding hunter-gatherer and fisher groups of the Elqui and Limarí valleys. The samples will be transferred to the Bioanthropology Laboratory of Kansas State University in the United States, where they will undergo isotopic analysis and radiocarbon dating (C14-AMS). The request was submitted by Andrés Troncoso.

In parallel, the departure of 11 samples (9 sediment and 2 botanical) from the Pucará de Turi (02Tu002) site was authorized, within the framework of the FONPAT 103858 project on the kallanka of Turi, the most relevant structure in Chile of the Andean Road System, Qhapaq Ñan, a UNESCO site. Of these:

• 8 samples will go to the Laboratori de Materials de l’EPSEB (LABMAT) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona (Spain), for archaeometric analyses for the identification and characterization of sediments.
• 3 samples will be sent to the Laboratoire de Datation et d’Analyse de Archéomatériaux de CIRAM in Martillac (France), for radiocarbon dating (C14-AMS).

The request was submitted by María Carolina Agüero Piwonka.

Other authorized collections

The decree also covers the departure of material from other sites and collections in the country:

• 6 samples (5 zooarchaeological and 1 charcoal) from the Infieles-1 site, deposited in the Museum of Natural and Cultural History of the Atacama Desert (MUHNCAL), within the framework of the Fondecyt 1240193 project, destined for the KCCAMS laboratory at the University of California, Irvine (USA), requested by Patricio Gonzalo López Mendoza.
• 6 bioarchaeological samples from pre-Hispanic sites in Longotoma (Valparaíso Region), deposited in the La Ligua Arturo Quezada Torrejón Museum (MLLAQT): 3 to the Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia (USA) and 3 to the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Cape Town (South Africa), requested by Daniel Antonio Hernández Castillo.
• 2 specimens of the fungus Lepiota locaniensis from collections SGO 93589 and SGO 93590 of the National Herbarium of Chile, destined for the Kriebel Herbarium at Purdue University (USA) for microscopic analysis and DNA extraction, requested by Víctor Ardiles.

Deadlines and conditions

Researchers must submit the analysis results within a period no longer than 2 years, counted from the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette. The packaging and transport of the samples shall be the responsibility of the researchers, and for reasons of efficient service, departure is authorized as of the date of the decree, without waiting for its full processing. In the case of the fungus specimens, material not used in destructive sampling must be returned to the National Herbarium of Chile.

This measure allows pieces of Chilean archaeological and biological heritage to be studied with cutting-edge technology abroad, strengthening scientific research on the first settlers of the northern and central valleys of the country, and on the occupation of the Qhapaq Ñan, without this implying the loss of the collections, which remain under the custody of the national museums and herbaria.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,545, September 8, 2026, General Norms, p. 1-18 (official reference: CVE 2864106).