Cortés Defies the Governor
The Spanish colonies of the sixteenth century had gold fever
and in hardly a fortnight Cortés had two ships, a brigantine
and 300 men. Velásquez became concerned about the scale
of Cortés' preparations and feared losing control over
the expedition and sent orders to relieve Cortés
of his command. But Cortés' brother-in-law killed the
messenger and took the governor's papers to Cortés. Alerted
to Velásquez' plans, Cortés now moved fast. Having
seized all the meat supplies in Santiago, he decided to set
sail at daybreak on February 18, 1519. Velásquez hurried
down just as Cortés was pulling away in a small boat.
Cortés ignored his protestations and gave orders to sail.
The crossing from Cuba to the Yucatan is only 120 miles, and
Cortés coasted down to Cozumel, where, for the first time, he saw
the Mayan pyramids, with their thatched sanctuaries on top.
Almost immediately, he had an incredible stroke of luck. The
people of the island told him that in the next-door land, known
as "Yucatan," there were two Christians who had been
carried there a long time ago in a boat, and held as captives.
One of those men was Geronimo de Aguilar, who had been shipwrecked
near Jamaica in 1511. Thanks to Aguilar's survival, Cortés now
had a translator who could speak the local Mayan tongue.
Cortés continued round the tip of the Yucatan and disembarked
at Potonchan, where the natives gave him small offerings
of food and a gold mask, but then asked the Spanish to go: ''We wish
neither war nor trade,'' they told Cortés. ''We have no more
gold - you will be killed if you do not leave.'' Ultimately, the
conversation ended in a battle in which 400 Indian warriors
were driven off with heavy losses. The Indians submitted and
gave the Spanish gifts, including 20 women to cook tortillas
and serve them. Cortés discovered that one of these women, named Malinali,
or Malinche as she is generally known, spoke both Mayan and Nahuatl,
the Aztec language. Cortés had stumbled upon the key to his
ambitions - through Geronimo de Aguilar, he would be able to
talk to Malinche in Mayan, and then through her speak with the
Mexicans in Nahuatl.