Illicit Trade
There are no millenary mummies in Switzerland, the vicuñas do not live in New Zealand, and the Alerce does not grow in the United States. How did Chile’s most valuable cultural goods get there? Illicit Trade investigates the incredible theft of fossils, mummies, shipwrecks, meteorites, exotic animals, and endangered trees that have crossed continents to end up in the hands of wealthy collectors, scientific laboratories, and prestigious museums.
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The Illicit Trade collection includes the following titles:
Illicit Trade, Ep. 01 - Fossils
Fósiles
Documentary, Series
Chile
The most complete fossil bird in the world was found in Germany. It’s six meters wide and was trafficked from Caldera, a town in Chile that survived the fishing crisis by the sale of fossils.
Illicit Trade, Ep. 02 - Chinchorro Mummies
Chinchorro
Documentary, Series
Chile
When a city is built on top of a cemetery, children play with skulls, and their parents become tomb robbers. For decades, Arica has been the center of self-taught archaeologists and foreign buyers.
Illicit Trade, Ep. 03 - Vicuña
Vicuña
Documentary, Series
Chile
Vicuña wool is the most expensive animal fiber in the world. The Aymara community sits at 5,000 meters above sea level, and considers them sacred animals, trying to manage them in a sustainable way.
Illicit Trade, Ep. 04 - Meteorites
Meteoritos
Documentary, Series
Chile
In Chile, the search and sale of meteorites is unregulated. When the first specimen from Mars is discovered, it is taken to France in search of the highest bidder.
Illicit Trade, Ep. 05 - Alerce
Alerce
Documentary, Series
Chile
A container of reddish wood was found in the port of San Francisco— Alerce, one of the most protected species on Earth. It could only come from Chile, where logging has brought it near extinction.
Illicit Trade, Ep. 06 - Oriflama
Oriflama
Documentary, Series
Chile
It is estimated that there are about two thousand shipwrecks on the coasts of Chile. This is the story of a battle for the treasures of one of them.