FBI returns stolen document signed by conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico
2 days ago
- #Hernán Cortés
- #Cultural Heritage
- #FBI Recovery
- A priceless manuscript page signed by Hernán Cortés has been returned to Mexico by the FBI.
- The document details logistics of Cortés’s journey to New Spain, a vast territory spanning from Central America to modern-day Washington state.
- Dated 20 February 1527, it was created just before a key lieutenant was appointed co-governor of the conquered territory.
- The manuscript was stolen from Mexico’s national archives between 1985 and 1993, with 15 pages missing.
- The FBI, NYPD, and Mexican government collaborated to recover the document, which had changed hands multiple times.
- No charges will be filed due to the document’s long history of ownership transfers.
- This is the second Cortés document returned by the FBI, following a 16th-century letter in 2023.