Mexico on Tuesday asked auction house Christie’s to cancel a planned sale in Paris of more than 30 artifacts dating back to the country’s pre-Hispanic era, saying the items are part of national heritage and must be returned.
Christie’s plans to auction masks, carved stones and other figures from the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and Mixtec cultures on February 9, with some estimated at something like 900,000 euros ($ 1.1 million).
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) analyzed items for sale and identified 32 as part of the country’s “cultural heritage”.
Diego Prieto, director general of INAH, said the institute filed a complaint with the Mexican attorney general about the auction and that the country’s foreign ministry is trying to retrieve the items through diplomatic channels.
In a virtual press conference, Prieto said that “sacred” objects should not be for sale.
“There should be no trade in national treasures,” he said.
Christie’s did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Among the items featured in the sale is a green stone Teotihuacan Serpentine mask, dated around 450-650 AD, which Christie’s said was “part of the collection” by Pierre Matisse, the youngest son of the famous French painter Henri Matisse .
Another highlight is a sculpture by Cihuateotl, a goddess of fertility in Aztec culture. ($ 1 = 0.8304 euros)
Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.