Mexico protests against auction of pre-Hispanic objects in Paris

Mexico on Tuesday called on auction house Christie’s to cancel the planned sale of around 30 pre-Hispanic objects in France next week, disputing the authenticity of several objects.

“The archaeological assets of our country are the property of the nation,” said Diego Prieto, director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, who asked the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recover the objects.

“They are beyond any act of commerce,” he said at a press conference.

Of the 33 items offered for auction on February 9 in Paris, Mexico determined that three were “fake”, and although these are handcrafted items, they are not archaeological pieces, he said. declared.

The disputed items include a stone mask believed to be from the Teotihuacan culture. It has an estimated value of up to 550,000 euros, according to Christie’s.

In recent years, Mexico has sought to recover objects found in private collections around the world, but with limited success.

In 2019, Mexico unsuccessfully requested the cancellation of a pre-Columbian art auction organized by the French house Millon.

(with AFP)