Offbeat | Ancient artifacts auctioned over Mexico objections

The London-based Bonhams auction house sold off a collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts Wednesday over the objections of the Mexican government, which says at least half the pieces are fake and the rest rightly belong to it as national heritage.
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said it “had offered the auction house specialized assistance in determining the authenticity of the artifacts, but the auctioneers ignored this proposal.”
A total of 314 pieces were auctioned Wednesday, including African and Oceanic art. The Mexican pieces included sculptures, ceramic vessels and other artifacts from the Aztec, Mayan and other cultures, many from the private Scott & Stuart Gentling Collection.