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Updated: June 29, 2025
On receiving this intelligence from Montejo, Velasquez was highly enraged against Cortes, and heartily cursed his secretary and contador, who had persuaded him to confide the expedition to his guidance. He immediately dispatched two armed vessels to detain our ship, but soon got the unwelcome news that she was considerably advanced on her voyage to Europe.
As soon as Montejo landed, the Indians presented him with fowls, bread, and fruit, and perfumed him and his men by burning copal in fire-pans. Julian was not able to understand the language of these people, which was Mexican, and Montejo sent advice to Grijalva of the friendly behaviour of the Indians, on which he brought his ships to anchor, and landed himself.
The faction of Velasquez, and those who had left comfortable plantations in the island of Cuba, became very impatient of our present situation, which certainly required a speedy change, and Cortes therefore proposed to take possession of the fortified town of Chiahuitztla, near the new harbour which Montejo had discovered.
Added to this, Grijalva considered that his instructions were positive not to attempt any settlement; and this being backed by the opinion of his captains, Montejo and Avila, he determined to return. Tacking about, therefore, he came back to the great river of Guazacoallo, but could not enter it on account of bad weather.
Montejo and Avila differed from this opinion, representing that winter was approaching, that provisions were growing scarce, and one of the ships very leaky; for all which reasons it was advisable to return to Cuba; the more especially because the natives of this coast were numerous and warlike, and the Spaniards were so much fatigued by having been so long at sea, that they were not able to maintain their ground.
By tact and cunning he managed to settle everything as he wished, and set to work to establish a colony in the name of the Spanish sovereign, and appointed his chief friend Puertocarrero to be one of its magistrates, and Montejo, who was a friend of Velasquez, to be the other.
As soon as the ship came to anchor, Montejo sent letters on shore to Velasquez, giving an account of all that had taken place during the expedition; and as the messenger went through the island, he everywhere communicated the news of all that had occurred to our army.
As the ships could not ride in safety at St Juan de Vilhua, Cortes sent Francis de Montejo, and the pilot Antonio Alaminos, in two brigantines, to look out for a safe anchorage. They went to Panuco, in lat. 23° N. whence they came back to Culvacan as a safer harbour. But Cortes went by land westwards to a city named Zempoallan, where he was well received.
Induced by the signals, Grijalva sent a party to land, under the charge of Montejo, the weather being unusually favourable for the purpose. On landing, we found the governor of the province attended by many natives, having with them a quantity of provisions, such as fowls, bread, pines, sapotes, and other fruit.
Yet they went directly to the Havanna, the pilot Alaminos being over-persuaded into this measure, under pretence of Puertocarrero being sick, and that Montejo wanted to procure provisions from his estate of El Marien.
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