Mexico on Tuesday requested the auction house Christie’s to cancel a planned auction in Paris of more than thirty items dating back to the country’s pre-Spanish era, saying the items are part of the national heritage and should be returned.
Christie’s plans to auction off masks, carved stones and other figures by Aztec, Maya, Toltec and Mixtec cultures on February 9, and some are expected to fetch as much as 900,000 euros ($ 1.1 million).
Mexico’s government – controlled National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reviewed the items for sale and identified 32 as part of the country’s cultural heritage ‘.
Diego Prieto, director general of INAH, said the institute had lodged a complaint with the Mexican attorney general’s office about the auction, and that the country’s foreign ministry was trying to pick up the objects via diplomatic channels.
In a virtual news conference, Prieto said sacred objects should not be for sale.
“National treasures may not be traded,” he said.
Christie’s did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Among the outstanding items is a greenstone Teotihuacan Serpentine mask, dating from around 450-650 AD, which according to Christie ‘is part of the collection’ of Pierre Matisse, the youngest son of the famous French painter Henri Matisse.
Another highlight is a sculpture of Cihuateotl, a goddess of fertility in Aztec culture. ($ 1 = 0.8304 euros)
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