Hernán Cortés manuscript stolen from Mexico's archives returned after several decades
The document was swiped from Mexico's national archives decades ago, marking a significant recovery for the nation's historical heritage.
The FBI confirmed the document's authenticity, with Special Agent Jessica Dittmer of the agency's Art Crime Team stating: "This is an original manuscript page that was actually signed by Hernán Cortés on February 20, 1527."
Cortés, who conquered the Aztec empire in 1521, signed the page just six years after his conquest. Due to the document changing hands multiple times, no charges will be filed.
The theft was first discovered in 1993 when archivists at Mexico's General Archive of the Nation were microfilming their collection of Cortés documents, revealing 15 missing pages.
It is believed the page, along with others, was stolen between 1985 and 1993. Mexico formally requested the FBI's Art Crime Team's assistance last year for this specific page.
The investigation, involving the New York City Police Department, the US Department of Justice, and the Mexican government, successfully traced the document to the United States, though its immediate possessor was not disclosed.
It is the second Cortés document the FBI has returned to the Mexican government. In 2023, the agency returned a 16th-century letter from Cortes.
' 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,' she said.
Mexico has for decades 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.
Cortes 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, Tenochtitlan - modern-day Mexico City - just two years later.
The document is dated February 20, 1527, just days before one of Cortes' 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 its 1810 war of independence.
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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 Cortes 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 Cortes 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. Many ended up in US museums: Nazis seized hundreds of artworks from anti-Hitler comic. 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 Cortes. 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. Cambodian artifacts: Family of late billionaire agrees to return 33 stolen artifacts to Cambodia 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 Cortes' 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. Cortes 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 Cortes' 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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