ly, 1502, Yucatan
was known to the Spaniards. The first Spaniards who actually coasted
the shore of Yucatan were Juan Diaz de Solis and Vicente Yanez Pinzon,
in the year 1506.

In 1511 or 1512 Vasco Nunez de Balboa, whose expedition was in Darien,
found it necessary to send to Hispaniola for supplies. He chose a
certain Valdivia for the errand, intrusted him with a caravel, and sent
him off. Valdivia was shipwrecked on Las Viboras, a reef near Jamaica,
and only about twenty of his men escaped. (Molina, p. 11 ff.;
Montesinos, vol. ii, p. 28 ff.; Landa, p. 15.) They were all captured
by some Indians from Yucatan, who sacrificed all except Jeronimo de
Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero. The latter of these learned the language
and went to Chectemal, where he married an Indian woman and became a
member of the tribe. (Landa, pp. 14-16. Chectemal = Salamanca = Bacalar
= Bakhalal.)

Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, 1517. All the Spaniards mentioned thus
far are connected only very remotely with our subject. In 1517,
however, under the auspices of Diego Velazquez, Governor of Cuba, an
expedition was fitted out under the command of Don Francisco Hernandez
de Cordoba. (Bernal Diaz, vol. i, p. 11; Landa, p. 16 ff.) As this and
one other expedition immediately preceded the entrada of Cortes, and as
they both came in contact with members of the Maya race, it is well
that a short account of the expeditions of Cordoba and of Grijalva
should be given.

Cordoba, with three ships provided by himself. Lope Ochoa de Caicedo,
and Cristoval Morante, left Cuba on February 8, 1517. The avowed
purpose of the expedition was to capture slaves for the Cuban market,
and although it was directly against the royal will, Velazquez himself
was interested in the project. After a sail of twenty-one days the
three ships sighted a large town some two leagues from shore. This spot
was named Cape Catoche by the Spaniards. A brisk fight took place there
between the natives and the white men, in which the latter were the
victors. Many Indian towns and settlements were seen as the Spaniards
went along the shore toward the west. Everywhere the Indians crowded
out of their houses, temples, and idol houses to see the newcomers. At
length the town of Champoton was reached. There, it will be remembered,
the Itzas had lived for many years. However demoralized the Maya race
may have become elsewhere, here at least it was vigorous enough, for
the Indians of Champoton or P