Mexico protests Paris auction of pre-Hispanic artefacts

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

Stone mask, Teotihuacan culture, valley of Mexico (Illustration photo) © Wikimedia Commons/Vassil

"The archaeological assets of our country are the property of the nation," said Diego Prieto, director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, which has asked Mexico's foreign ministry to recover the objects.

"They are beyond any act of commerce," he told a news conference.

Of the 33 items being offered for auction on 9 February in Paris, Mexico has determined that three are "false", and while they may be handicrafts they are not archaeological pieces, he said.

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

A Teotihuacan mask which is at least 14 centuries old will be auctioned on 9 February in Paris. © Christie's

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

Teotihuacan, located in the Basin of Central Mexico, was the largest, most influential, and certainly most revered city in the history of the New World. https://t.co/4YSSW8t6EI pic.twitter.com/1TCXHF4P0l

— Ancient History Encyclopedia (@ahencyclopedia) February 3, 2021

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

(with AFP)