Mexico threatens charges over auction of historic papers

MEXICO CITY – Federal prosecutors in Mexico threatened Tuesday to bring criminal charges against a local auction house for a planned sale of historical documents including letters from the country’s Independence heroes.

The Attorney General’s office said just hours before the planned auction that the sale was illegal and that it could seize the lots. It said the documents were part of Mexico’s historical legacy.

The Morton auction house said the documents included letters signed by Miguel Hidalgo and other leaders of the 1810-1821 independence struggle. The company did not respond to a request for comment, but the online auction indicated that the Hidalgo letter had been withdrawn from the sale.

Prosecutors said that while private individuals can own such documents, they can’t sell them, and that the auctioneers could face fines or criminal charges.