Peru has suspended the online sale of twenty archaeological pieces from the pre-Hispanic Chancay culture, organized from March 25 to 30 by the Canadian auction house Waddington's, the Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday.
"
The Embassy of
Peru
in Canada and the Consulate General in Toronto, in joint action, have ended a virtual auction of twenty Chancay-style pre-Hispanic cultural assets that are part of Peru's cultural
heritage
" , the statement said.
"
The Canadian auction company Waddington's, headquartered in Toronto, offered on its website
The Saleroom
, pieces that have been identified by the Ministry of Culture
", adds the ministry.
Read alsoHow Customs track cultural property
The coins involved were trafficked and illegally exported out of Peru.
Among the items offered for sale was a seed necklace from the Chancay civilization, which developed between 1200 and 1470 in medieval Peru, in the valleys of Fortaleza, Pativilca, Supe, Huaura, Chancay, Chillon and Rímac y Lurin.
Several dozen other antiques were nevertheless sold during the sale organized by Waddington's.
A polychrome pottery from the Indus Valley, dated to the second half of the 2nd millennium BC.
J.-C., was sold for 1320 dollars.
Non-Chancay pre-Hispanic artifacts were traded for a few hundred dollars each.
The Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that it is taking the necessary measures to ensure that these documents are returned to the authorities.
Peru and Canada are signatories to the UNESCO Convention signed in Paris in 1970, which promotes the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property in the world.
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