An auction of 120 pre-hispanic artifacts went ahead in Paris on September 18 despite Mexico and UNESCO's objection. The Mexican government reportedly asked the French auction house to halt the planned sale as some were said to be fake and others had to be returned to Mexico. The government reportedly filed a formal complaint against the auction of religious and cultural artifacts. The pre-Columbian art belonged to several private collections, including sacred jewelry worn by a shaman and the figurine of a fertility goddess. 

UNESCO objected

Alexandre Million claimed that the sale in Paris would go ahead and defended the collectors' right to put the objects up for auction. He alleged that public sale is by definition transparent and it is subject to a level of requirement such that embassies would view them as a great tool for positive communication and cultural influence. Mexico's ambassador to France, Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo claimed that they had also pressured the French authorities to intervene. UNESCO reportedly confirmed that they had also urged Millon to postpone the sale.

Millon said that the core of the auction was "part of the last French collections (of Pre-Columbian art) put together in the postwar period. It is remarkable in terms of its origin and prestige. He further added that some pieces had featured in major exhibitions and in "indispensable works on Pre-Columbian art". 

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The press conference

Gomez Robledo called a press conference to question the provenance of the pieces, warning some "could turn out to be imitations. We regret that despite the efforts undertaken, we did not get the auction house to cancel the sale”. He further added that the cancellation of the Paris sale could have been the first step towards the reinstitution of the authentic cultural property of Mexico. Robledo claimes that "This type of trade encourages pillage, illegal trafficking and counterfeiting practiced by organized transnational crime networks." 

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The works were expected to fetch between several hundred and 90,000 euros (USD 99,000). A statue of an Aztec goddess was allegedly sold for five times its estimate. The stone figure of Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water and protector of births, reportedly went for 377,000 euros ($417,000). Another figure of the Aztec mother goddess Coatlicue was reportedly sold for 97,500 euros.

(With inputs from PTI)

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