500-year-old manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés returned to Mexico

BOSTON (AP) — A nearly 500-year-old manuscript signed by the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés in 1527 has been returned to the Archivo General de la Nación de México – Mexico’s national archives in Mexico City. U.S. officials said the manuscript is a payment order signed by Cortés on April 27, 1527, authorizing the purchase of rose sugar for the pharmacy in exchange for 12 gold pesos. It is believed to be one of several pieces unlawfully removed from a collection of documents concerning a Spanish expedition to Central America in 1527 that is housed in Mexico’s national archives. The document was discovered in an online auction.