The City of the Sacred Well

by T. A. Willard

Bishop Landa says that Gerónimo de Aguilar with some companions was the first to try his luck in Yucatan. He and his men took part in the destruction of the city of Darien in 1511. He accompanied another leader, Valdivia, in a caravel from Santo Domingo. They ran aground at a place called Viboras, on the coast of Jamaica, and the ship was lost with all but twenty men. Aguilar and Valdivia with the few survivors set out in a small boat without sails and without food and were thirteen days at sea, before, by chance, they reached Yucatan. In that time half of the little band died of starvation.

Upon reaching land they fell into the hands of a bad Maya chief; he immediately sacrificed Valdivia and four others to the native gods, and the people feasted upon their bodies. Aguilar, his chief lieutenant, Guerrero, and four or five others were left to fatten for a subsequent sacrifice, but they escaped and reached another tribe which was at war with the bad chief. Here they were kept as slaves, and though they were mercifully treated, nearly all of them died of disease except Aguilar and Guerrero. The former was a good Christian, according to Bishop Landa’s account, and kept his prayer-book, and in 1517 he returned to Spain with Hernan Cortes. Guerrero, however, appears to have been less pious; he allied himself with a native chief and together they conquered many native tribes. Guerrero taught the natives how to fight and how to build fortifications. He conducted himself like an Indian, painting his body, letting his hair grow long, and wearing ear-rings, and married the daughter of a chief. It is thought he became an idolator.

In 1517 Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba set sail from Santiago de Cuba with three ships, for the purpose, some say, of obtaining new slaves for the mines. Others say he went to discover new land. He arrived at length at the island of Mujeres (women), which name he gave it because of the native goddesses of the island—Aixchel, Ixche-beliax, Ixhunie, and Ixhunieta. The Spaniards were surprised to find the women fully clothed and to see buildings of stone and articles of gold. The latter they took with them. Sailing into the bay of Campeche, they landed upon the coast of Yucatan on the Sunday of Lazarus and called the place of their arrival Lazarus. They were well received by the natives, who were struck with awe and wonderingly touched the beards and persons of the strangers.

Near the sea the Spaniards beheld a square stone monument with steps leading up to it on all four sides. On the summit was a stone idol, with the figures of two wild animals gnawing at his flanks, and a huge stone serpent in the act of swallowing a leopard. All were smeared with blood from frequent sacrifices. A little way inland was the city of Champoton, which the chief would not permit the Spaniards to enter, bringing forth his warriors against them. This saddened Francisco Hernandez, but he put his forces in order and caused the artillery of his ships to be fired.

The natives, however, did not cease their attack, although the noise and smoke and fire of cannon must have been terrifying to them who had never seen nor heard such things before. The bloodshed was terrible, for the natives died in hundreds, but still they pressed on, driving the Spaniards back to their ships. Of the Spaniards, twenty were killed, fifty wounded, and two taken alive who were later sacrificed. Hernandez himself received thirty-three wounds.

Returning to Cuba, he told Diego Velasquez, the governor, of the richness of the land and of the abundance of gold, and Velasquez despatched his nephew, Juan de Grijalva, with four ships and two hundred men, on May 1, 1518, to undertake the conquest of Yucatan. One of the ships was commanded by Francisco de Montejo. They cruised along the whole coast and finally attempted to besiege the city of Champoton again, but with no better fortune than their predecessors. One Spaniard was killed and fifty wounded, among them Grijalva.

When the Spaniards returned to Cuba Hernan Cortes became greatly excited upon hearing the news of so much land and such riches and determined to conquer the country in the name of God and his king. He outfitted eleven ships, the largest being of one hundred tons. Among their captains was Francisco de Montejo. There were five hundred men in the expedition, horses, war-gear, and goods for trading or ransom.

On the voyage one ship was thought to be lost, and with the ten remaining vessels an attack was made on the city of Cotoch, which was captured and plundered. Later the ship that was thought to be lost rejoined the rest. Cruising down the coast from northern Yucatan, the fleet came to the inhabited island of Cuzmil.

The natives, seeing so many ships and so many soldiers, abandoned the place and fled inland. After despoiling the city, the Spaniards made a foray into the hinterland and came upon the wife of the chief and her children. They conversed with her by the aid of a native interpreter and treated her kindly. Many gifts were bestowed upon her and her children and she was induced to send word to the chief and bring him before them. When he came, he too was well treated and presented with gifts.

The chief ordered all the dwellers to return to their homes and all of the loot that the Spaniards had taken was restored to its owners and confidence and friendship were established. The natives became converted to Christianity and the image of the Virgin was set up to replace the old stone idols. From the Indians Cortes learned that some white men were near by, in the power of a barbarous native chief. The friendly Indians were afraid to venture into the domain of the chief, but Cortes finally induced them to deliver the following letter by stealth to the white men: