Shared from / by Mexico Desconocido
These are historical documents of “incalculable value”, which after their theft in Mexico appeared in numerous art galleries and auction houses, according to the authorities.
Mexico recovered this Thursday in New York several archaeological objects and historical documents from the 16th century, among which is a letter from Hernán Cortés and a decree from Queen Isabel, which were described by Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard as “very old and very important for the history of Mexico”.
Historic documents from the 16th century, including Letter from Hernán Cortés, recovered by the New York Attorney General’s office and Home Land Investigations. Today they surrendered to the Secretary of Foreign Relations and were placed in the custody of our consulate to be transferred to Mexico City,” Ebrard wrote on his Twitter profile.
Ebrard accompanied his message with a short video in which the texts are shown; In it, there are also several archaeological objects and figures that had been stolen from the National Archive of Mexico and sold illegally.
The assistant district attorney for the New York district of Manhattan, Nitin Savur, who was in charge of delivering the objects to the Mexican Republic, described Hernán Cortés as an “infamous Spanish conqueror.”
Today, a week after Mexico’s Independence Day, we have the honor of returning 15 pieces associated with the infamous Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés to the people of Mexico, including a royal decree signed by the Queen of Spain in 1529 authorizing the return of Cortés. to the colonies, “said Nitin Savur, quoted in a statement.
Pieces of ‘incalculable’ value
According to the New York prosecutor’s office, these are archaeological documents and pieces from a collection “of incalculable value” that, after their theft in Mexico, appeared in numerous art galleries and auction houses.
Savur pointed out that his recovery was the result of efforts between the United States’ Antiquities Trafficking Unit and Mexican authorities.
These emblematic elements of the cultural heritage show the evolution of the Spanish state in Latin America and the roots of the Mexican identity; they return home, where they will be studied for generations to come,” stressed the assistant prosecutor.
Mexico sought the recovery of the manuscripts for more than a year
In September, a New York auction house put a rare treasure up for sale: a five-century-old letter revealing a political intrigue involving Hernán Cortés, the famous leader of the Spanish force that conquered what is today. Mexico.
Cortés’s papers rarely make it to the market. The 1521 document, offered by Swann Galleries, was expected to fetch between $ 20,000 and $ 30,000. It was going to be that way, until an intrepid group of academics from Mexico and Spain helped thwart the sale.
Note originally published in High Level.
