HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF YUCATAN AND OF THE ITZAS

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Juan de Grijalva and Others, 1518. In the spring of 1518 Velazquez
caused another expedition to be fitted out. Juan de Grijalva was to be
the commodore, and Alonso de Avila, Francisco de Montejo, and Pedro de
Albarado were each to have command of a ship. From our point of view
the most important thing this expedition did was to visit the island of
Cozumel. They also visited las Mugers which takes its name from the
female idols found there by the Spaniards. This party also touched at
Champoton and even went as far as San Juan de Ulloa and the Rio
Panuco.[3.2]


Cortes in Mexico, 1519. The next year, 1519, witnessed the setting out
of Fernando or Hernando or Hernan Cortes. His achievements in Mexico in
the years 1519-1524 in nowise concern us. In the latter year, however,
he inaugurated the bold project of reaching Honduras by land from
Mexico. As an inevitable result of this plan he entered the territory
of the Itzas. Villagutierre's account (lib. i, caps. 7, 8) of this