FBI returns 16th-century stolen document signed by conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico
The "priceless cultural artifact" was returned to the government of Mexico in a ceremony, according to the FBI. Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team, said the document was the original manuscript page signed by Cortés on Feb. 20, 1527.
Authorities believe the manuscript page was stolen in the 1980s or 1990s, according to the FBI. Dittmer noted that no one will be charged in connection with the theft because the document had changed hands various times in the decades since its disappearance.
"Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico's history, so this is something that the Mexicans have in their archives for the purpose of understanding history better," Dittmer said in a statement.
The manuscript page is the second Cortés document the FBI has returned to the Mexican government, according to the agency. In July 2023, the FBI returned a letter — which dates back to April 1527 — from Cortés authorizing a purchase of rose sugar.
The FBI said the repatriation of the document was a result of collaboration between the agency, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Mexican government. For decades, Mexico has sought the repatriation of cultural artifacts, including a delicate headdress made of iridescent quetzal feathers thought to have belonged to Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II, currently housed in an Austrian museum.
Manuscript pages were discovered missing in 1993
Before the document went missing, the FBI said Mexico's General Archive of the Nation had counted the manuscript in a collection of historical documents that were signed by Cortés. While archivists were microfilming the collection in October 1993 for inventory, they discovered that 15 pages of the manuscript were missing.
It is believed that the manuscript page was stolen between 1985 and 1993 due to a wax numbering system used by archivists in the mid-1980s, according to Dittmer. The system also helped investigators find and authenticate the document, the FBI said.
In 2024, the Mexican government asked for the assistance of the FBI's Art Crime Team in locating the manuscript page, according to the agency. The FBI said further investigation and research revealed that the document was likely in the United States.
Investigators then worked with the FBI Atlanta Field Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to find the relevant records and track down the missing manuscript. The FBI is still searching for the other missing pages and has urged the public to contact their New York Field Office with any potential information on the documents.
Manuscript page provides details on payments for supplies
The manuscript page "outlines the payment of pesos of common gold for expenses in preparation for discovery of the spice lands, so it really gives a lot of flavor as to the planning and preparation for unchartered territory back then," Dittmer said.
She added that the document is considered historically significant because it contains a complete account of logistical and planning details tied to Cortés' journey through what eventually became the territory of the Spanish Empire, known as New Spain. The territory stretched from present-day Washington state to Louisiana and down through Latin America, according to the FBI.
Cortés landed in Mexico with a small army in 1519 when he formed alliances with local groups that opposed the Aztec empire, which helped him capture the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan — modern-day Mexico City — just two years later.
The date of the document, Feb. 20, 1527, was days before one of Cortés' top lieutenants was appointed co-governor of the conquered territory. It was a key year for the formation of royal and religious institutions that would rule over the indigenous peoples of Mexico until the War of Independence.
Contributing: Reuters
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