On August 13, the FBI returned a stolen manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to the government of Mexico. "This...

On August 13, the FBI returned a stolen manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to the government of Mexico. "This is an original manuscript page that was actually signed by Hernán Cortés on February 20, 1527," explained Special Agent Jessica Dittmer. She’s a member of the Bureau’s Art Crime Team and is currently embedded in FBI New York’s FBI-NYPD Joint Major Theft Task Force. The document, she said, "outlines the payment of pesos of common gold for expenses in preparation for discovery of the spice lands, so it really gives a lot of flavor as to the planning and preparation for unchartered territory back then." The repatriation of this priceless cultural artifact—which authorities believe was stolen in the 1980s or 1990s—was the result of close collaboration between the FBI, the New York City Police Department, the Department of Justice, and the government of Mexico. https://lnkd.in/gaR6VNkm