The Mexican government has demanded that two archaeological artifacts of pre-Hispanic origin scheduled for auction at Sotheby’s in New York on June 18 be withdrawn, arguing the items are part of the nation’s cultural heritage and must be returned.
Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza announced the request Monday, saying Mexican authorities had already initiated actions to demand the removal of the items from the sale and to secure their restitution. She said an analysis conducted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History determined that both objects are part of Mexico’s cultural heritage.
According to Sotheby’s catalog, one of the objects identified by Mexican authorities is a Teotihuacan mask dating from A.D. 450 to 650 during the Classic period. The artifact is part of a private New York collection and carries an estimated value of between $30,000 and $50,000. At the time of inquiry, it had received a bid of $22,000.
The auction also includes other objects attributed to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic cultures, among them an Early Classic Maya effigy vessel dating from A.D. 250-450, valued at between $7,000 and $9,000; a female figure from Michoacán dating from the Early Preclassic period, 1200-300 B.C., valued at between $15,000 and $25,000; and a Mezcala figure from the Late Preclassic period, 300-100 B.C., with an estimated value of $40,000 to $60,000. However, Mexican authorities have only reported actions seeking the withdrawal of the two objects identified by the institute as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
The demand adds to a series of actions undertaken by authorities during June to halt the commercialization of archaeological heritage in the United States. According to publications from the Culture Secretary, the government has requested the suspension of sales or the restitution of at least 199 archaeological artifacts identified in three auctions held or scheduled this month in the U.S.
Those claims include one artifact offered by auction house COAuction, based in Illinois; 118 archaeological objects included in a “Pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial Art” auction organized by Artemis Fine Arts in Louisville, Colorado; and another 80 artifacts identified in a “Fine / Visual Art, Ancient, Ethnographic Art” sale also organized by the same firm.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the recovery and protection of cultural assets that belong to our country,” Curiel de Icaza said in a message posted on social media. “No commercial interest can be placed above the obligation to preserve the heritage that reflects our history and cultural diversity.”
So far, Sotheby’s has not publicly commented on the Mexican government’s request or on efforts undertaken to remove the artifacts from the auction.
The case is part of the “My Heritage Is Not for Sale” campaign, an initiative led by the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office and the National Guard to locate and recover Mexican cultural assets abroad. Between 2019 and 2024, Mexico secured the repatriation of more than 14,000 cultural assets from various countries, according to official figures, making the program one of the most active heritage recovery strategies in Latin America.