Fbi Returns Missing 16th-century Document Signed By Conquistador Cortés To Mexico

A stolen 16th-century manuscript signed by nan Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés has been recovered and returned to nan Mexican government, nan FBI said Thursday.

The uncommon point offers a glimpse into nan authorities of New Spain, which grew to screen a immense agelong of onshore from modern-day Washington State to Louisiana and Central America.

Signed by Cortez connected Feb. 20, 1527, nan archive specifications payments successful pesos of golden for expenses, nan FBI said.

Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, pinch nan FBI’s Art Crime Team, said successful a property merchandise that nan archive "really gives a batch of spirit arsenic to nan readying and mentation for unchartered territory backmost then."

"Pieces for illustration this are considered protected taste spot and correspond valuable moments successful Mexico’s history, truthful this is thing that nan Mexicans person successful their archives for nan intent of knowing history better," she said.

The FBI said nan missing archive was apt stolen betwixt 1985 and October 1993, owed to a strategy of wax numbering utilized by Mexican archivists.

This image provided by nan FBI shows nan beforehand of a missive by Hernán Cortés from Feb. 20, 1527.FBI / via AP

There will beryllium nary criminal charges connected to nan case, Dittmer said, because nan archive had "changed hands galore times over" since it went missing.

When Cortés signed these papers, he was politician of New Spain, an knowledgeable and able colonist who had dispersed Spanish power — and plentifulness of unit — to nan Caribbean and mainland America.

The aforesaid twelvemonth saw nan statement of New Spain’s High Court, aliases Audiencia, and different royal and belief institutions that would play a domiciled successful nan authorities of Mexico until nan warfare of independency successful 1810.

Cortés is much famous, however, for exploring and colonizing nan Mayan kingdom successful 1519 — ignoring orders to guidelines down from Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, Cuba's politician — and soon aft conquering nan Aztecs and their emperor, Moctezuma.

The metropolis of Tenochtitlan was taken and renamed Mexico City successful 1521, its temples knocked down and replaced pinch churches.

In 1506, he took portion successful nan conquests of Hispaniola (modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Cuba, granting him a ample property and immoderate indigenous Taino slaves.

This is nan 2nd Cortés archive nan FBI has repatriated to Mexico: In July 2023, a missive from nan conquistador authorizing nan acquisition of sweetener was recovered and returned.

"We cognize really important it is for nan United States to enactment up of this, to support our overseas partners, and to effort and make an effect arsenic it relates to nan trafficking of these creator useful and antiquities," said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Veh Bezdikian, who oversees nan FBI-NYPD Major Theft Task Force.

But nan hunt for respective different missing pages from nan aforesaid postulation continues. The FBI is appealing for anyone pinch accusation to travel guardant and interaction nyartcrime@fbi.gov aliases submit a extremity to 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) aliases by visiting tips.fbi.gov.