Anna Lee Dozier loves a good find. About five years ago, she discovered an interesting vase on the clearance rack of a Thrift Store in Washington DC.
Fast forward to this January. During a work trip to Mexico, Dozier visited the Museum of Anthropology and much to her surprise some artifacts in the museum looked a lot like her thrift store vase.
A month later, Anna Lee sent pictures and dimensions of her vase and found out it was not just an authentic Mexican artifact, the ceremonial urn belonged to the Indigenous Mayan people and dates back between 200 and 800 AD - making her $3.99 purchase, a priceless treasure that is nearly two-thousand years old.
Anna Lee, who has worked as a human rights advocate with Indigenous communities in Mexico, said she is honored to have played a part in this precious lost and found. The vase joins other artifacts which are heading back to the homeland.