A painting of Saint Francis of Assisi, stolen from the Church of San Francisco de Asis in Teotihuacán, Mexico, in 2001, has been recovered and returned to the church. The six-foot-tall work, painted in 1747 by an unknown artist, was among 18 artworks taken in a nighttime theft. It resurfaced in 2018 when it was consigned to Mexico City auction house Morton Subastas, whose due diligence with the Art Loss Register flagged it as stolen. The painting, valued at 280,000 Mexican pesos ($15,000), was returned to the church in a ceremony led by Padre Teodoro García Romero.
The recovery matters because it highlights the ongoing challenge of art theft and the importance of databases like the Art Loss Register in repatriating stolen cultural heritage. The return restores a significant piece of local history and faith for the Teotihuacán community, after nearly 25 years of uncertainty. It also comes amid a global surge in high-profile thefts from museums and churches, offering a rare hopeful outcome and underscoring the need for vigilance and international cooperation in protecting cultural artifacts.