

PARIS, FRANCE (AP) — France and Mexico signed an agreement Thursday on cooperating against the trafficking of cultural artifacts, a deal that the Mexican foreign minister called an important step toward recovering and protecting Mexico’s cultural heritage.
Details of the deal weren’t immediately released.
It came after Mexico lodged a complaint with the French government against a big auction of pre-Hispanic sculptures and other artifacts by Christie’s of Paris earlier this year. Paris auction houses often sell Indigenous artifacts that are already on the art market, despite protests from activists who say they should be returned to their native lands.
In signing the cooperation agreement, the French and Mexican foreign ministers acknowledged Thursday that their countries have different laws around cultural objects but promised to work together in the future to fight trafficking of artwork.
“The recuperation and protection of our cultural goods is a huge issue for us,” Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said. “I am happy that on this occasion France accompanies us and supports this initiative despite our legal systems being very different. We haven’t always shared the same posture, but this agreement is very positive.”
He said the agreement includes mechanisms “to impede in the maximum way possible the commercialization – which is illegal – of pieces that are important for the historical and cultural patrimony of Mexico.”
The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History protested the Christie’s Paris sale earlier this year. The collection included a 1,500-year-old stone mask from the ancient city of Teotihuacan, and an ancient statue of the fertility goddess Cihuateotl, apparently from the Totonac culture. The auction brought in more than $3 million.
Source: AP
Comments
more recommended stories
Xcaret postpones the 14th edition of the Sacred Maya Journey
The return of the traditional Sacred.
A woman is crushed to death when a tree falls on top of her car on the Mérida-Valladolid highway
A strange accident happened on Thursday,.
With these local flowers, you help prevent the loss of bees in Yucatan
Every May 20, World Bee Day.
US government officials talk about UFOs publicly for the first time in 50 years
Two senior U.S. defense intelligence officials.
The US Embassy to invest 30 million USD in the “South of Mexico Generating Employment and Sustainability” program
In alliance with seven governments from.
Face-to-face courses return to La Ibérica de Mérida; they will celebrate a big event on Sunday
On Sunday, May 22, the Centro.
Construction worker arrested for sexual abuse against a maid inside a hotel in Tulum, Quintana Roo
The municipal police of Tulum, in.
Yucatan is about to receive the first cloud of dust from the Sahara desert in 2022
A cloud of dust from the.
Yucatecans seek to sell one ton of Cochinita Pibil and 6 thousand panuchos in Mexico City
With the “Yucatán Expone” program, Yucatecan.
Mérida Municipal Police officer returns wallet to owner with more than 5 thousand pesos
The Mérida Municipal Police agent Roberto.
Leave a Comment