Editing Spanish conquest of Yucatán (section)

==Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, 1517==
{{main|Hernández de Córdoba expedition}}
[[File:Francisco Hernández de Córdoba.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Francisco Hernández de Córdoba]]
In 1517, [[Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (Yucatán conquistador)|Francisco Hernández de Córdoba]] set sail from [[Cuba]] with a small fleet,<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p4-4"/> consisting of two [[caravel]]s and a [[brigantine]],<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p6"/> with the dual intention of exploration and of rounding up slaves.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p4-4">Clendinnen 2003, pp. 4–5.</ref> The experienced [[Antón de Alaminos]] served as pilot; he had previously served as pilot under [[Christopher Columbus]] on his final voyage. Also among the approximately 100-strong expedition members was [[Bernal Díaz del Castillo]].<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p5">Clendinnen 2003, pp. 5.</ref> The expedition sailed west from Cuba for three weeks, and weathered a two-day storm a week before sighting the coast of the northeastern tip of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]]. The ships could not put in close to the shore due to the shallowness of the coastal waters. However, they could see a [[Maya peoples|Maya]] city some two [[League (unit)|leagues]] inland, upon a low hill. The Spanish called it Gran Cairo (literally "Great Cairo") due to its size and its [[Mesoamerican pyramids|pyramids]].<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p6">Clendinnen 2003, pp. 6.</ref> Although the location is not now known with certainty, it is believed that this first sighting of Yucatán was at [[Isla Mujeres]].<ref name="SharerTraxler06p759"/>

The following morning, the Spanish sent the two ships with a shallower [[draught (hull)|draught]] to find a safe approach through the shallows.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p6"/> The caravels anchored about one league from the shore.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p7"/> Ten large canoes powered by both sails and oars rowed out to meet the Spanish ships. Over thirty Maya boarded the vessels and mixed freely with the Spaniards. The Maya visitors accepted gifts of beads, and the leader indicated with signs that they would return to take the Spanish ashore the following day.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p6"/>

The Maya leader returned the following day with twelve canoes, as promised. The Spanish could see from afar that the shore was packed with natives. The conquistadors put ashore in the brigantine and the ships' boats; a few of the more daring Spaniards boarded the native canoes. The Spanish named the headland [[Cabo Catoche|Cape Catoche]], after some words spoken by the Maya leader, which sounded to the Spanish like ''cones catoche''. Once ashore, the Spaniards clustered loosely together and advanced towards the city along a path among low, scrub-covered hillocks. At this point the Maya leader gave a shout and the Spanish party was ambushed by Maya warriors armed with spears, bows and arrows, and stones. Thirteen Spaniards were injured by arrows in the first assault, but the conquistadors regrouped and repulsed the Maya attack. They advanced to a small plaza bordered by temples upon the outskirts of the city.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p7">Clendinnen 2003, p. 7.</ref> When the Spaniards ransacked the temples they found a number of low-grade gold items, which filled them with enthusiasm. The expedition captured two Mayas to be used as interpreters and retreated to the ships. Over the following days the Spanish discovered that although the Maya arrows had struck with little force, the flint arrowheads tended to shatter on impact, causing infected wounds and a slow death; two of the wounded Spaniards died from the arrow-wounds inflicted in the ambush.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p8">Clendinnen 2003, p. 8.</ref>

[[File:Karavelle.png|thumb|left|Early 16th century European caravel]]
Over the next fifteen days the fleet slowly followed the coastline west, and then south.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p8"/> The casks brought from [[Cuba]] were leaking and the expedition was now running dangerously low on fresh water; the hunt for more became an overriding priority as the expedition advanced, and shore parties searching for water were left dangerously exposed because the ships could not pull close to the shore due to the shallows.<ref>Clendinnen 2003, pp. 8–9.</ref> On 23 February 1517,<ref name="SharerTraxler06p759"/> the day of Saint Lazarus, another city was spotted and named San Lázaro by the Spanish – it is now known by its original Maya name, [[Campeche City|Campeche]]. A large contingent put ashore in the brigantine and the ships' boats to fill their water casks in a freshwater pool. They were approached by about fifty finely dressed and unarmed Indians while the water was being loaded into the boats; they questioned the Spaniards as to their purpose by means of signs. The Spanish party then accepted an invitation to enter the city.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p9">Clendinnen 2003, p. 9.</ref> They were led amongst large buildings until they stood before a blood-caked altar, where many of the city's inhabitants crowded around. The Indians piled reeds before the visitors; this act was followed by a procession of armed Maya warriors in full war paint, followed by ten Maya priests. The Maya set fire to the reeds and indicated that the Spanish would be killed if they were not gone by the time the reeds had been consumed. The Spanish party withdrew in defensive formation to the shore and rapidly boarded their boats to retreat to the safety of the ships.<ref>Clendinnen 2003, pp. 9–10.</ref>

The small fleet continued for six more days in fine weather, followed by four stormy days.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p10">Clendinnen 2003, p. 10.</ref> By this time water was once again dangerously short.<ref>Clendinnen 2003, pp. 10–11.</ref> The ships spotted an inlet close to another city,<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p11"/> [[Champotón, Campeche|Champotón]],<ref name="SharerTraxler06p759">Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 759.</ref> and a landing party discovered fresh water. Armed Maya warriors approached from the city while the water casks were being filled. Communication was once again attempted with signs. Night fell by the time the water casks had been filled and the attempts at communication concluded. In the darkness the Spaniards could hear the movements of large numbers of Maya warriors. They decided that a night-time retreat would be too risky; instead, they posted guards and waited for dawn. At sunrise, the Spanish saw that they had been surrounded by a sizeable army. The massed Maya warriors launched an assault with missiles, including arrows, darts and stones; they then charged into hand-to-hand combat with spears and clubs. Eighty of the defenders were wounded in the initial barrage of missiles, and two Spaniards were captured in the frantic mêlée that followed. All of the Spanish party received wounds, including [[Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (Yucatán conquistador)|Hernández de Córdoba]]. The Spanish regrouped in a defensive formation and forced passage to the shore, where their discipline collapsed and a frantic scramble for the boats ensued, leaving the Spanish vulnerable to the pursuing Maya warriors who waded into the sea behind them.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p11"/> Most of the precious water casks were abandoned on the beach.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p12">Clendinnen 2003, p. 12.</ref> When the surviving Spanish reached the safety of the ships, they realised that they had lost over fifty men, more than half their number.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p11">Clendinnen 2003, p. 11.</ref> Five men died from their wounds in the following days.<ref>Clendinnen 2003, pp. 11–12.</ref> The battle had lasted only an hour,<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p12"/> and the Spanish named the locale as the Coast of the Disastrous Battle. They were now far from help and low on supplies; too many men had been lost and injured to sail all three ships back to [[Cuba]]. They decided to abandon their smallest ship, the brigantine, although it was purchased on credit from [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar|Governor Velásquez]] of Cuba.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p12"/>

[[File:DiegoVelazquezCuellar.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Governor Diego Velázquez de Cuellar claimed the discovery of wealthy cities and gold in Yucatán]]
The few men who had not been wounded because they were manning the ships during the battle were reinforced with three men who had suffered relatively minor wounds; they put ashore at a remote beach to dig for water. They found some and brought it back to the ships, although it sickened those who drank it.<ref>Clendinnen 2003, pp. 12–13.</ref> The two ships sailed through a storm for two days and nights; Alaminos, the pilot, then steered a course for [[Florida]], where they found good drinking water, although they lost one man to the local Indians and another drank so much water that he died. The ships finally made port in [[Cuba]], where [[Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (Yucatán conquistador)|Hernández de Cordóba]] wrote a report to Governor [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar|Velázquez]] describing the voyage, the cities, the plantations, and, most importantly, the discovery of gold. Hernández died soon after from his wounds.<ref name="Clendinnen87,03p13">Clendinnen 2003, p. 13.</ref> The two captured [[Maya peoples|Maya]] survived the voyage to Cuba and were interrogated; they swore that there was abundant gold in [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán]].<ref name="Clendinned87,03p14">Clendinnen 2003, p. 14.</ref>

Based upon Hernández de Córdoba's report and the testimony of the interrogated Indian prisoners, Governor Velázquez wrote to the [[Council of the Indies]] notifying it of "his" discovery.<ref name="Clendinned87,03p14"/>