Latest news with #HernánCortés
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
FBI returns stolen document signed by conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico
Nearly five centuries after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés signed it and decades after someone swiped it from national archives, a priceless manuscript page has been returned by the FBI to Mexico. The document contains a detailed accounting of the logistics related to Cortés's journey to what eventually became New Spain – a territory that stretched from Central America to modern-day Washington state. 'This is an original manuscript page that was actually signed by Hernán Cortés,' said special agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's art crime team in New York. 'Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico's history.' 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, Tenochtitlán – modern-day Mexico City – just two years later. The document is dated 20 February 1527, just days before one of Cortés's 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 1810-21 war of independence. The manuscript was initially stored in Mexico's national archives, but archivists microfilming the collection in 1993 found that 15 pages had gone missing. Based on its wax numbering system, the FBI said the document was probably stolen between 1985 and 1993. Mexico requested the help of the FBI's art crime team last year for this particular page. Investigators eventually narrowed the search to the United States and located the document, though the agency did not say who had it. The New York City police department, US Department of Justice and Mexico's government were all involved in the investigation. Because the document has changed hands various times over the years, no one will be charged for the theft, the FBI said. It is the second Cortés document the FBI has returned to the Mexican government. In 2023, the agency returned a 16th-century letter from Cortés. '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.
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
FBI returns stolen 16th-century manuscript signed by conquistador Cortes to Mexico
The FBI has returned a priceless 16th-century manuscript bearing the signature of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico, officials said Thursday. Archivists at Mexico's General Archive of the Nation were shocked when they discovered 15 pages of the manuscript missing during their efforts to microfilm the collection in 1993, with officials believing the rare documents were stolen between then and 1985. 'Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico's history,' Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, with the FBI's Art Crime Team, said as the US handed the documents over. Advertisement 3 The FBI located and returned a page of a 16th-century manuscript featuring the signature of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. AP 3 At the time of signing, Cortés was serving as the governor of New Spain following his conquest of the Mayan kingdom. Getty Images The rare manuscript documents detailed payments from New Spain made in pesos of the Mexican gold, all neatly filed away under government expenses for land discovery, with Cortés signing off on the order on Feb. 20, 1527. The papers offer a rare glimpse into the workings of New Spain, which at the time stretched from Central American to modern-day Washington State. Advertisement Cortés' signature is especially noteworthy given his historical role in expanding Spain's control over the Americas and colonizing the Mayan and Aztec kingdoms. At the time of signing, Cortés was serving as the governor of New Spain. 3 The documents were believed to have been stolen between 1985 and 1993 from Mexico's General Archive. via REUTERS Advertisement Mexico had tapped the FBI's Art Crime Team last year for help in tracking down the page that bore Cortés signature, with investigators eventually locating the missing document. Officials did not say where the relic was located, only that authorities would not prosecute anyone in connection with the original theft since it has been determined that the documents had 'changed hands several times over' since it went missing, the FBI said. 'We know how important it is for the United States to stay ahead of this, to support our foreign partners, and to try and make an impact as it relates to the trafficking of these artistic works and antiquities,' said Veh Bezdikian, a supervisory special FBI agent, in a statement. Advertisement Thursday's exchange was only the second time the FBI has helped track down documents related to Cortés for the Mexican government. In 2023, the agency located a 16th-century letter penned by Cortés authorizing the purchase of sugar in New Spain. With Post wires
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
A 500-Year-Old Receipt for Supplies to Conquer an Empire Is Returned to Mexico
About 30 years after it was discovered to be missing — and 500 years after it was written — the F.B.I. has returned a document bearing the signature of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico. The manuscript, a register of payments from 1527, is one of 15 pages believed to have been stolen from Mexico's national archives between 1985 and 1993, the F.B.I. said. It was signed by Cortés, who led the overthrow of the Aztec empire for the Spanish crown. The F.B.I. said that it returned the document on Wednesday, and that no one would face prosecution in the theft because the document had changed hands many times since it vanished. The document 'outlines the payment of pesos of common gold for expenses in preparation for discovery of the spice lands,' Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the F.B.I.'s Art Crime Team, said in a statement, 'so it really gives a lot of flavor as to the planning and preparation for unchartered territory back then.' Those 'spice lands' that Ms. Dittmer spoke of were eastern and southeastern Asia. European explorers sailed west in the hopes of finding a faster route to the region, and instead landed in the Americas. In 1993, while archivists at the General Archive of the Nation in Mexico were creating microfilms of their collection of documents signed by Cortés, they discovered that 15 pages of the manuscript were missing. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
FBI returns stolen document signed by conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico
Nearly five centuries after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés signed it and decades after someone swiped it from a national archives, a priceless manuscript page has been returned by the FBI to Mexico. The document contains a detailed accounting of the logistics related to Cortés's journey to what eventually became New Spain – a territory that stretched from Central America to modern-day Washington state. 'This is an original manuscript page that was actually signed by Hernán Cortés,' said special agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's art crime team in New York. 'Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico's history.' 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, Tenochtitlán – modern-day Mexico City – just two years later. The document is dated 20 February 1527, just days before one of Cortés's 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. The manuscript was initially stored in Mexico's national archives, but archivists microfilming the collection in 1993 found that 15 pages had gone missing. Based on its wax numbering system, the FBI said the document was likely stolen between 1985 and 1993. Mexico requested the help of the FBI's art crime team last year for this particular page. Investigators eventually narrowed the search to the United States and located the document, though the agency did not say who had it. The New York City police department, US Department of Justice and Mexico's government were all involved in the investigation. Because the document has changed hands various times over the years, no one will be charged for the theft, the FBI said. It is the second Cortés document the FBI has returned to the Mexican government. In 2023, the agency returned a 16th-century letter from Cortés. '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.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
US returns to Mexico 500-year-old manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés
Nearly five centuries after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés signed it and decades after someone swiped it from Mexico's national archives, the FBI returned a priceless manuscript page to Mexico on Wednesday. The FBI said in a statement that the document had changed hands various times over the years, so no one will be charged. 'This is an original manuscript page that was actually signed by Hernán Cortés on February 20, 1527,' said Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team. By then, Cortés had conquered the Aztec empire in 1521, two years after landing in present-day Mexico. While archivists at Mexico's General Archive of the Nation were microfilming their collection of documents signed by Cortés in 1993, they discovered that 15 pages of the manuscript were missing. They believe it was stolen between 1985 and 1993. Mexico requested the help of the FBI's Art Crime Team last year for this particular page. The FBI eventually narrowed the search to the United States and located the document, though the agency did not say who had it. The New York City Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice and Mexico's government were all involved in the investigation. 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.
