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Mexico City gold was Aztec loot Spanish abandoned as they fled in 1520, tests show
Analysis of gold bar published a few months before 500th anniversary of battle that forced Cortés to beat a temporary retreat
Reuters in Mexico City
Fri 10 Jan 2020 10.58 EST
A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City has confirmed it was part of the plunder Spanish conquistadors abandoned as they beat a temporary retreat from the Aztec capital.
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (Inah) announced the findings of new tests of the bar in a statement on Thursday, a few months before the 500th anniversary of the battle that forced Hernán Cortés and his soldiers to temporarily flee the city on 30 June 1520.
A day earlier, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma was assassinated, prompting a frenzied battle that forced Cortés, his fellow Spaniards and their indigenous allies to flee for their lives.
A year later, Cortés would return and lay siege to the city, which was already weakened with supply lines cut and diseases that accompanied the Spanish invaders taking a toll.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/10/mexico-city-gold-aztec-treasure-spanish-conquistadors