FBI returns stolen document signed by conquistador to Mexico

The document, signed by Hernán Cortés in 1527, is thought to have been taken over three decades ago.

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The manuscript page was penned in 1527 and is one of 15 pages thought to have been swiped from Mexico's national archives between 1985 and 1993, the US investigatory agency said.

The page - which describes payments made for supplies for expeditions - was discovered in the US and repatriated on Wednesday.

Cortés was an explorer who brought about the end of the Aztec empire and helped pave the way for the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. The manuscript details plans for his journey across what would become New Spain.

At its height, the colony stretched across much of western and central North America, and into Latin America.