Overview
- The original Códice Azcatitlan arrived in Mexico and went on public display at the Museo Nacional de Antropología after being loaned by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, with coverage showing the transfer took place around September 17.
- The loan is reciprocal: Mexico will send the Códice Boturini to France as part of bicentennial cultural programming and the Azcatitlan’s stay is explicitly temporary under the bilateral agreement.
- Conservation limits restrict how the manuscript is shown, including very low gallery light and page rotation, so only parts of the 25 folio codex can be exhibited and handling and research access are tightly controlled.
- France passed a restitution law on May 9, 2026 that creates a route for returning some items, and French parliamentarians have proposed specific measures for Azcatitlan and the Borbónico, but no final decision on permanent transfer has been made.
- Mexican officials, indigenous community representatives and scholars see the loan as a step toward greater access and possible restitution, while authorities in both countries continue documentary and legal review to determine whether a permanent return is legally and politically possible.