From Malay Mail · · 50s
Aztec manuscript returns to Mexico after 200 years
Mexico gets back 16th-century Aztec manuscript loaned by France for 200 years
In brief
Mexico gets back 16th-century Aztec manuscript loaned by France for 200 years Mexico repatriates Codex Azcatitlan after French National Library loaned it for 200 years Originally reported by Malay Mail.
Codex Azcatitlan returns
Mexico displays 16th-century Aztec manuscript after 200-year loan from France
“It combines the pre-Hispanic drawing system but already incorporates figures with a more realistic vision”
Historical significance
Manuscript depicts Aztec migration from mythical Aztlan to Tenochtitlan
“It narrates the Aztec migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan”
Loan agreement
France's National Library loaned manuscript to Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology
“This exhibition coincides with 200 years of Mexico-France relations”
Political context
President Claudia Sheinbaum pushed for return during French president's visit
“Both are very important to Mexico”
Historical background
Manuscript donated to French National Library in 1898 by collector's widow
“It was brought to France half a century earlier by French researcher Joseph Marius Alexis Aubin”
Tensions history
1982 theft incident caused diplomatic friction between Mexico and France
“France expressed anger over what it described as theft but the codex remained in Mexico”
Legal status
Both countries claim legal right to possess the manuscripts
“Both the National Assembly and National Library say their possession is legal”
Repatriation efforts
Mexico has repatriated over 16,000 colonial-era artifacts since 2018
“Successive left-wing Mexican governments step up efforts to recover colonial-era cultural objects”
The short version
Mexico repatriates Codex Azcatitlan after French National Library loaned it for 200 years
