Mexico condemns auction of its archaeological treasures in France

Mexico, Nov 18 (Prensa Latina) Mexico's Secretariat of Culture and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) on Friday condemned an auction of archaeological artifacts belonging to the country's cultural heritage.

The Binoche et Giquello auction house in Paris has scheduled the bid for November 22, despite the Mexican protest.

INAH specialists drew up an archaeological report to examine each piece’s form, style, raw material, proportions, surface finishes, and state of preservation.

They determined that 62 pieces for sale are Mexican archaeological monuments, defined and protected by the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Monuments, and Zones.

Those pieces, reported as pre-Hispanic objects, cover the time from the Middle Preclassic period to the Mesoamerican Postclassic period, between 1200 BC and 400 AD.

The two Mexican institutions filed the corresponding complaint before the Attorney General’s Office and sent letters to the Legal Office of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and the General Director of International Police Affairs and Interpol to take action in favor of the repatriation of those pieces.