Mexico’s Ministry of Culture demanded the suspension of an auction in Louisville, Colorado, after specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) identified 80 archaeological pieces of Mexican origin being offered by Artemis Fine Arts in a sale titled “Fine/Visual Art, Ancient, Ethnographic Art.”

Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza stated that “since these are goods belonging to the Nation, inalienable and imprescriptible by legal mandate” the government has initiated actions to halt their commercialization and secure their restitution.

“Our heritage is not an object of profit. Its defense is a permanent commitment to the memory and cultural sovereignty of Mexico,” she added.

RELATED: Mexico Inaugurates Exhibit to Celebrate Tepito’s Cultural Identity

Under the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historic Monuments and Zones, such items are property of the Nation, inalienable and imprescriptible, and their export has been prohibited since 1827. Their presence outside Mexico is therefore the result of illicit extraction.

Since 2018, the Mexican government has recovered about 16,500 cultural pieces by fighting auctions in New York, Paris, and Rome, and by intensifying demands on foreign governments for the return of archaeological and artistic artifacts.

IN THIS ARTICLE