Mexico Just Got a Stolen Hernán Cortés Manuscript Back — With an Assist From the FBI
Mexico recovered another piece of its history that has been missing for three decades. A rare manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, dating back almost 500 years, was discovered in the United States. The manuscript marks one of more than 14,000 historical and artistic artifacts that Mexico has recovered since 2018.
A 500-year-old manuscript is back in Mexico where it belongs
The manuscript “describes the payment of gold pesos to finance the discovery of land for spice cultivation,” according to EL PAÍS. Dated February 20, 1527, the manuscript was stolen from the National Archives between 1985 and October 1993. Those dates represent the last time it was seen and the first time it was sought out. The agent on the case, Jessica Dittmer, told EL PAÍS that the historical significance for the manuscript lies in the logistical and planning challenges. These challenges show how the Spanish conquered what would be known as New Spain.
“The document is extremely important and interesting. It’s part of the Hospital de Jesús, which is the name given to a whole series of manuscripts by the hospital’s founder, Hernán Cortés,” José Alfonso Suárez del Real, cultural advisor to the Mexican presidency, explained to BBC Mundo.
The page is one of 15 missing from the Hospital de Jesús. It is the second of the missing pages to be found in the United States. Last year, authorities discovered a manuscript describing the purchase of pink sugar and dated May 27, 1527.
Mexico has been searching for missing and stolen artifacts with great success due to a task force created in 2023. The task force works with local law enforcement abroad to stop auctions of Mexican artifacts. Members of the task force have stopped the auction of artifacts in cities like Paris, New York, and Rome.
Countries around the world are searching for missing and stolen cultural items. According to Interpol, more than 850,000 cultural items were seized globally in 2020.
Mexico has been searching for stolen artifacts aggressively
An employee at Mexico’s National Archive found the “pink sugar” manuscript at auction in Boston in 2022. The discovery was not intentional, but it set off an investigation by the FBI to get the artifact back from RR Auctions. Investigators were able to trace that artifact’s journey from Mexico and through the U.S.
According to EL PAÍS, it was auctioned in early 1990 and ended up in the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Kansas. When that buyer died in 2019, their family put it up for auction in Los Angeles, where it again sold. Then, in 2022, the same manuscript went up for auction again in Boston. That is when it was discovered. Due to the number of owners, there were no charges filed against any parties involved.
During his presidency, Andrés Manuel López Obrador led a large-scale campaign to recover cultural treasures. Over 14,000 items—ranging from sculptures to ancient texts—were brought back. A major highlight, “Gateway to the Underworld,” is now exhibited in Morelos.
