MEXICO CITY, Nov 19 (NNN-TELESUR) — The Mexican government calls on France to stop the auction of “Mexican archaeological monuments” scheduled for Nov 22, at the Binoche et de Giquello house in Paris.
There are 62 pieces that, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), are “Mexican archaeological monuments, defined and protected by the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Monuments and Zones,” as determined by the archaeological opinion.
INAH, together with the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, expressed their rejection of the auction, pointing out that the pieces “are pre-Hispanic, dating from the Middle Preclassic period (1200 B.C.-400 B.C.) to the Mesoamerican Postclassic period (900 A.D.-1300 A.D.)”
In seeking the repatriation of said assets, the agencies filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. They have also appealed to the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Director General of International Police Affairs and Interpol to make use of their powers.
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, urged in a press conference the return to the native peoples of the archaeological pieces of ancient cultures that were illegally stolen.
Likewise, the Secretary of Culture of the Government of Mexico, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, has appealed to the historical, symbolic and cultural value of these assets, cultural heritage of the nation, urging the house of Binoche et de Giquello to stop the auction.
