Story perspectives

Mexico Displays Azcatitlán Codex, Renewing France Repatriation Debate

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 11:50 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Mexico displays the 16th-century Codex Azcatitlán on loan from France at the National Museum of Anthropology.
The exhibit runs until December 6, 2026 and includes 25 European-paper folios with vivid Aztec pictograms.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged France to return the codex during the 200-year diplomatic anniversary.
Indigenous attendees wept, calling the display a reclaimed birthright and sparking repatriation debate.
France’s National Library retains legal title to the codex while loaning it to Mexico.

1 of 1

Story summary

Mexico displays the 16th-century Codex Azcatitlán on loan from France at the National Museum of Anthropology.
The exhibit runs until December 6, 2026 and includes 25 European-paper folios with vivid Aztec pictograms.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged France to return the codex during the 200-year diplomatic anniversary.
Indigenous attendees wept, calling the display a reclaimed birthright and sparking repatriation debate.
France’s National Library retains legal title to the codex while loaning it to Mexico.