Peru halts auction of archaeological finds in Canada

BETTING DAY

Peru has halted an online auction organized by a Canadian company that offered twenty archaeological pieces from the pre-Hispanic Chancay culture, the Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday. 

“The Embassy of Peru in Canada and the Consulate General in Toronto, in joint action, have terminated a virtual auction of twenty Chancay-style pre-Hispanic cultural assets that are part of the cultural heritage of Peru”, specifies the press release.

“The Canadian auction company Waddington's, whose head office is in Toronto, offered on its website +The Saleroom+, pieces that have been identified by the Ministry of Culture”, adds the ministry.

Among the objects offered for sale was a seed necklace.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that it is taking the necessary measures for these pieces to be returned to Peru.

The Chancay civilization developed in the valleys of Fortaleza, Pativilca, Supe, Huaura, Chancay, Chillon, Rímac y Lurin, on the central coast of Peru, between 1200 and 1470.

Peru and Canada are signatories to the UNESCO Convention, signed in Paris in 1970, which promotes the fight against the illicit traffic of cultural property in the world.