Latest news with #NewSpain
The Guardian
5 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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
US returns to Mexico stolen manuscript signed by conquistador Hernan Cortes
US returns to Mexico stolen manuscript signed by conquistador Hernan Cortes By Sarah Morland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The U.S. FBI said it had on Wednesday returned to Mexico a stolen manuscript dating back five centuries to the Spanish conquest and signed by its leading military commander, Hernan Cortes. Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team in New York, said the document contains a detailed accounting of the logistics related to Cortes' 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 Hernan Cortes," she said in a statement. "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, 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. The manuscript was initially stored in Mexico's national archives, but archivists preserving the documents on film 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. This marks the second repatriation of a Cortes manuscript to Mexico, after a letter from April 1527 authorizing the purchase of rose sugar was returned in 2023. No one will face prosecution in connection with the theft, Dittmer said, because investigators assessed the manuscript had changed hands several times since it disappeared. The U.S. antiques market is valued in the tens of billions of dollars, largely concentrated in New York auction houses. 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. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
5 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.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
US hands back 500-year-old conqueror Hernan Cortes document stolen from Mexico's archives
MEXICO CITY, Aug 14 — The US FBI said it had on Wednesday returned to Mexico a stolen manuscript dating back five centuries to the Spanish conquest and signed by its leading military commander, Hernan Cortes. Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team in New York, said the document contains a detailed accounting of the logistics related to Cortes' 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 Hernan Cortes,' she said in a statement. '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, 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. The manuscript was initially stored in Mexico's national archives, but archivists preserving the documents on film 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. This marks the second repatriation of a Cortes manuscript to Mexico, after a letter from April 1527 authorizing the purchase of rose sugar was returned in 2023. No one will face prosecution in connection with the theft, Dittmer said, because investigators assessed the manuscript had changed hands several times since it disappeared. The US antiques market is valued in the tens of billions of dollars, largely concentrated in New York auction houses. 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. — Reuters
Reuters
6 days ago
- Reuters
US returns to Mexico stolen manuscript signed by conquistador Hernan Cortes
MEXICO CITY, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. FBI said it had on Wednesday returned to Mexico a stolen manuscript dating back five centuries to the Spanish conquest and signed by its leading military commander, Hernan Cortes. Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team in New York, said the document contains a detailed accounting of the logistics related to Cortes' 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 Hernan Cortes," she said in a statement. "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, 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. The manuscript was initially stored in Mexico's national archives, but archivists preserving the documents on film 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. This marks the second repatriation of a Cortes manuscript to Mexico, after a letter from April 1527 authorizing the purchase of rose sugar was returned in 2023. No one will face prosecution in connection with the theft, Dittmer said, because investigators assessed the manuscript had changed hands several times since it disappeared. The U.S. antiques market is valued in the tens of billions of dollars, largely concentrated in New York auction houses. 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.
