Hernán Cortses Expedition Into The Yucatan
Except for occasionally firing a few cannon shots out of spite, Grijalva repeatedly denied himself and his men the gratification of vengeance from periodic attacks they received from some Maya as they sailed along the coast of the Yucatán for months. Occasionally a friendly group would exchange beads and Spanish wine for food and other necessities the expedition required. Grijalva was disappointed at the fact that they'd gathered very little gold on their trip; but when they came back to Cuba he shared a tale of hearing about a rich empire that was further to the west inland.
This story prompted Hernán Cortés to lead an expedition into the Yucatán in 1519. Cortés had spent some time at the island of Cozumel off the coast of the Yucatán where
he tried to convert the locals to Christianity, but had limited and mixed results. This was when he'd heard the rumors of other 'bearded white men' that were living in the area. Cortés sent messengers to these 'bearded white men' whom turned out to be Gerónimo de Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero, the last two survivors of the 1511 shipwreck. Upon receiving Cortés message, Aguilar petitioned his Maya chieftain to be allowed to leave and join his former countrymen. The Chieftain agreed to release him and Aguilar made his way to where Cortés and his men's ships were located.
Gerónimo de Aguilar claimed that he tried to convince Guerrero to leave with him, but failed. Guerrero was now already well-assimilated into the Maya culture and was looked upon as a figure of rank by the local Maya. Aguilar claimed that Guerrero had a Maya wife and three children at the Maya settlement of Chetumal where he was now living.[56]
Aguilar would prove himself to be a valuable asset as a translator for Cortés expedition into the Yucatán. He had lived with the Maya for so long that he was now quite fluent in speaking “Yucatec Mayan,” along with a few other local indigenous languages.[57]
Gonzalo Guerrero's fate was never known. It is assumed that for some years that he fought alongside the Maya warriors against the Spanish Conquistadors. He provided the Maya with military counsel on tactics to fight and resist the Spanish invasion. Although unconfirmed, Guerrero is believed to have later been killed in a battle. However, Hernán Cortés and some 500 Conquistadors were currently engaged in the richer lands of Mexico. The quest for gold kept the attention of the Spaniards in the Mexico region for a few years. The Spanish Conquistadors led by Cortés defeat of the mighty Aztec Empire with the use of modern weapons and the assistance of their Mesoamerican allies.
It was the Spanish Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado whom was granted the privilege of conquering the Maya after he and his brothers had proven themselves in the ranks of Cortes’ army. In the year 1523, he set out with approximately four hundred Spanish Conquistadors and about ten-thousand Mesoamerican allies to conquer the Maya.
By the year 1524, Pedro de Alvarado's band of Spanish Conquistadors and his native allies moved into the Maya area which is now present-day Guatemala. The Maya civilization had already deteriorated some centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. Only a number of small kingdoms remained of the once populous Maya city-states.
The strongest of the remaining Maya kingdoms was the kingdom of the K’iche. These people were located in the area that is now central Guatemala. The K’iche people had rallied around a leader named Tecún Umán to defend their lands and met Alvarado's Conquistadors and indigenous allies in battle. Unfortunately, the K’iche lost the battle and were permanently defeated, ending any significant native resistance in the area.
This story prompted Hernán Cortés to lead an expedition into the Yucatán in 1519. Cortés had spent some time at the island of Cozumel off the coast of the Yucatán where
he tried to convert the locals to Christianity, but had limited and mixed results. This was when he'd heard the rumors of other 'bearded white men' that were living in the area. Cortés sent messengers to these 'bearded white men' whom turned out to be Gerónimo de Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero, the last two survivors of the 1511 shipwreck. Upon receiving Cortés message, Aguilar petitioned his Maya chieftain to be allowed to leave and join his former countrymen. The Chieftain agreed to release him and Aguilar made his way to where Cortés and his men's ships were located.
Gerónimo de Aguilar claimed that he tried to convince Guerrero to leave with him, but failed. Guerrero was now already well-assimilated into the Maya culture and was looked upon as a figure of rank by the local Maya. Aguilar claimed that Guerrero had a Maya wife and three children at the Maya settlement of Chetumal where he was now living.[56]
Aguilar would prove himself to be a valuable asset as a translator for Cortés expedition into the Yucatán. He had lived with the Maya for so long that he was now quite fluent in speaking “Yucatec Mayan,” along with a few other local indigenous languages.[57]
Gonzalo Guerrero's fate was never known. It is assumed that for some years that he fought alongside the Maya warriors against the Spanish Conquistadors. He provided the Maya with military counsel on tactics to fight and resist the Spanish invasion. Although unconfirmed, Guerrero is believed to have later been killed in a battle. However, Hernán Cortés and some 500 Conquistadors were currently engaged in the richer lands of Mexico. The quest for gold kept the attention of the Spaniards in the Mexico region for a few years. The Spanish Conquistadors led by Cortés defeat of the mighty Aztec Empire with the use of modern weapons and the assistance of their Mesoamerican allies.
It was the Spanish Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado whom was granted the privilege of conquering the Maya after he and his brothers had proven themselves in the ranks of Cortes’ army. In the year 1523, he set out with approximately four hundred Spanish Conquistadors and about ten-thousand Mesoamerican allies to conquer the Maya.
By the year 1524, Pedro de Alvarado's band of Spanish Conquistadors and his native allies moved into the Maya area which is now present-day Guatemala. The Maya civilization had already deteriorated some centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. Only a number of small kingdoms remained of the once populous Maya city-states.
The strongest of the remaining Maya kingdoms was the kingdom of the K’iche. These people were located in the area that is now central Guatemala. The K’iche people had rallied around a leader named Tecún Umán to defend their lands and met Alvarado's Conquistadors and indigenous allies in battle. Unfortunately, the K’iche lost the battle and were permanently defeated, ending any significant native resistance in the area.