A stolen 16th-century manuscript signed by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés has been found and returned to the Mexican government, the FBI said Thursday.
The rare item offers a glimpse into the government of New Spain, which grew to cover a vast stretch of land from modern-day Washington State to Louisiana and Central America.
Signed by Cortez on Feb. 20, 1527, the document details payments in pesos of gold for expenses, the FBI said.
Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, with the FBI’s Art Crime Team, said in a press release that the document “really gives a lot of flavor as to the planning and preparation for unchartered territory back then.”
“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.
The FBI said the missing document was likely stolen between 1985 and October 1993, due to a system of wax numbering used by Mexican archivists.
There will be no criminal charges connected to the case, Dittmer said, because the document had “changed hands many times over” since it went missing.
When Cortés signed these papers, he was governor of New Spain, an experienced and wealthy colonist who had spread Spanish control — and plenty of violence — to the Caribbean and mainland America.
The same year saw the formation of New Spain’s High Court, or Audiencia, and other royal and religious institutions that would play a role in the government of Mexico until the war of independence in 1810.
Cortés is more famous, however, for exploring and colonizing the Mayan kingdom in 1519 — ignoring orders to stand down from Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, Cuba’s governor — and soon after conquering the Aztecs and their emperor, Moctezuma.
The city of Tenochtitlan was taken and renamed Mexico City in 1521, its temples knocked down and replaced with churches.
In 1506, he took part in the conquests of Hispaniola (modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Cuba, granting him a large estate and some indigenous Taino slaves.
This is the second Cortés document the FBI has repatriated to Mexico: In July 2023, a letter from the conquistador authorizing the purchase of sugar was found and returned.
“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 FBI Supervisory Special Agent Veh Bezdikian, who oversees the FBI-NYPD Major Theft Task Force.
But the search for several other missing pages from the same collection continues. The FBI is appealing for anyone with information to come forward and contact nyartcrime@fbi.gov or submit a tip to 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by visiting tips.fbi.gov.
