 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Juan de Grijalva" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2024) |
Juan de Grijalva (Spanish:[xwandeɣɾiˈxalβa]; c. 1490 – 21 January 1527) was a Spanishconquistador, and a relative ofDiego Velázquez.[1]: 27 He went toHispaniola in 1508 and toCuba in 1511. He was one of the early explorers of the Mexican coastline, and was killed by natives inHonduras on 21 January 1527.
In 1518, Grijalva became one of the first to explore the shores ofMexico. According toHernán Cortés, 170 people went with him, but according toPedro Mártir, there were 300 people.
Themain pilot wasAntón de Alaminos, the other pilots were Juan Álvarez (also known asel Manquillo), Pedro Camacho de Triana, and Grijalva. Other members includedFrancisco de Montejo,Pedro de Alvarado,Bernal Díaz del Castillo,Juan Díaz, Francisco Peñalosa, Alonso de Ávila,[1]: 50 Alonso Hernández, Antonio Villafaña and two natives from Yucatan, Julianillo (Julian) andMelchorejo (Melchor), who were captured during theHernández de Córdoba expedition and now served as interpreters.
They embarked from the port ofMatanzas,Cuba, with four ships on 8 April 1518.
After rounding theGuaniguanico in Cuba, Grijalva sailed along the Mexican coast, discoveredCozumel on 3 May 1518, and arrived on 8 June 1518 at theTabasco region in southern Mexico.[2] TheRío Grijalva in Mexico was named after him. He was also the first Spaniard to encounterMoctezuma II's delegation. One of the natives joined them, being baptized as Francisco, and became aNahuatl interpreter on Cortes' expedition.Bernal Díaz del Castillo wrote about the travels of Juan de Grijalva in his bookHistoria de las Indias..[1]: 27–43, 82
According to W H Prescott's "Conquest of Mexico," Grijalva was the first Spaniard to bring back word of the plentiful gold hoard of the Aztecs, inflaming passions for conquest. In 1518Hernán Cortés stayed at Juan's home inTrinidad, Cuba, at the start of his Mexican expedition. He recruited men there, including the five Alvarado brothers.[1]: 49–50
Juan de Grijalva was killed by natives inHonduras on 21 January 1527.
