Saturday, May 24, 2025

FBI Boston recovers stolen manuscript signed by Hernán Cortés

Special agents from the art crime team at the Boston Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have recovered a 495 year-old manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, which is believed to be one of several documents that were stolen from Mexico’s national archives some time prior to 1993.

The manuscript is a payment order signed by Cortés on April 27, 1527, authorizing the purchase of rose sugar for 12 gold pesos.

According to the Department of Justice, an individual submitted the historic manuscript to be auctioned online with a Massachusetts auction house.

Mexican authorities alerted US officials that the document was stolen and the item was pulled from auction.

This almost 500 year-old payment order carries the signature of Hernán Cortés. Boston FBI Twitter

“As a result of exceptional work by the Asset Recovery Unit in our office and our law enforcement partners, this historic artifact has been recovered,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.

The document was recovered on Tuesday and that same day, Rollins filed a forfeiture action whose goal is to return the document to Mexico, its “rightful owner”.

With reports from Aristegui Noticias and Boston25News

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.

The MND News Quiz of the week: May 24th

2
Film festivals, naval ships and a lucky cyclist: How much attention have you been paying to the news this week?
A portrait of Gabriela Iturbide

Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide wins Spain’s Princess of Asturias Arts Award

1
“Photography is a ritual,” Iturbide said. “To photograph the most mythological aspects of people, then step into darkness to develop, to select the most symbolic images.”
Clients wait in line at Western Union, a popular money transfer service.

Any remittance tax is ‘absolutely unjust,’ Sheinbaum says, after US House lowers proposed tax to 3.5%

2
Millions of Mexican families would be impacted by the tax, which officials say violates treaties prohibiting double taxation.