Peru has halted an online auction organized by a Canadian company that offered 20 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 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, whose headquarters is in Toronto, offered on its website ‘The Saleroom’, pieces that have been identified by the Ministry of Culture”, adds the ministry.
Among the items offered for sale was a seed necklace.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that it is taking the necessary measures to ensure that these pieces are 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.
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