Hernán Cortés Manuscript Stolen from Mexican National Archives Found

Solved by FBI’s Art Crime Team-Boston

FBI Boston special agents have recovered a 495-year-old manuscript signed by Hernán Cortés.¹ The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts filed a civil forfeiture action² against a manuscript signed in 1527, believed to have been unlawfully removed from the Archivo General de la Nación de México.

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. According to Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division:

“The recovery of this national treasure stolen from Mexico and its people not only preserves an important part of Mexico’s history, but reflects the FBI’s ongoing commitment to pursue justice for victims of crime here and abroad. Our investigation into how this priceless artifact ended up in Massachusetts continues, and we look forward to the day when we can return it to the Government of Mexico.”

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 DOJ, an individual cosigned the manuscript for online auction at a Massachusetts auction house. Mexican authorities contacted US federal officials, alerting them that the paperwork was stolen. The auction house then pulled the item from auction, turning it over to Mexican officials.

Hernán Cortés

Cortés (1485 – 1547) was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the vast Aztec empire in central America.³

1. Lambert, Bryan. FBI Boston recovers 495-year-old Hernando Cortés manuscript stolen from Mexico three decades ago. Boston25 News. November 22, 2022.

2. Department of Justice. U.S. Attorney’s Office. District of Massachusetts. United States Files Forfeiture Action for Manuscript Signed by Conquistador Hernando Cortés in 1527. November 22, 2022.

3. MacNutt, F.A. Fernando Cortés and the Conquest of Mexico, 1485-1547. New York and London 1909.