Chap., ni. ' C o L u M B u s /(9 C o R T E s i - Expedition. 6i 
tejo^ with ail the Mufketeers and twenty other Soldiers, 
with Diredtions, that, in cafe the Indians appeared in a 
warlike Pofture, he fhould give notice of it, that Succours 
might be fent. As foon as they landed they offered him 
Fowls, Bread, and Fruit ; the Indian^ Julian^ not under- 
If anding that Language, which was the Mexican^ and they 
perfuming the Spa 7 iiards^ burning Copal in little Fire-pans ; 
Montejo fent advice to Grijalva^ who, thereupon came 
up clofe with the Ships and landed,when one of the King 
of MmVo’s Governors, and the other great Men, paid 
him much Refpedl, he having given them fome Glafs- 
Beads and Necklaces of feveral Colours. The Governor 
ordered the Indians to' bring Gold to barter, and in the 
fpace of^ fix Days they ftayed there, they got the Value 
of 15,000 Pieces of Eight in Gold Baubles, and Toys 
in feveral Shapes. 
14. All things had hitherto fucceeded happily, fo as 
to do great Credit to „the Commander in chief, and to 
thofe who were under him, but ftill there was nothing 
done comparable to the Expeftations which had been 
raifed in Cuba of this Expedition j which prompted them 
to lofe no time, but to continue their Voyage with the 
iitmoft Diligence, and, at the fame time, with all poffi- 
ble Caption. ^ John Grijalva therefore contented the Ca- 
ziques v/ith Prefents of fuch things as he had, and having 
taken Poffeffion of the New Country for the King, and 
for Jmnes Velafquez, in his Majefty’s Narhe, embarked 
again becaufe the North Winds blew there upon the 
Land, and he was not fife ; finding an Ifiand near the 
Continent he called it IJla Blancha^ or %vhite IJland^ be- 
caufe the Sands were whitifh-, and not very far from 
thefe another appeared four Leagues from the Coaft, 
which, being well wooded, they called la Vend, or the 
Green. Farther they faw another a League and a half 
from Land, and there being a good Road oppofite to 
it, Grijalva ordered the Ships to anchor there •, he went to 
the Ifiand with the Boats, becaufe there was Smoak, and 
found two Houfes well built with Lime and Stone, 
having many Steps that led up to Altars, on which 
there were Idols ; and they perceived that five Men had 
been facrificed there that Night, their Breads being rip- 
ped open, their Legs and Thighs being cut off, and the 
Walls bloody, which much aftoniflied the Chriftians, 
and therefore they call this the IJland of Sacrifices. 
They landed, again, oppofite to the Ifiand, where they 
made themfeives Huts of Boughs and the Sails of the 
Ships, whither fome reforted to barter Gold in fmall 
Figures ; but the Gold being inconfiderable, and the 
Indians fearful, the Spaniards removed to another little 
Ifiand about half a League from the Main. They land- 
ed on a Strand, built Barracs on the higheft Part of thofe 
Sands to avoid the Plague of the Mofquitos^ or Gnats ; 
and, having founded the Harbour, found there was fuf- 
ficient Water, and that the little Ifiand fiieltered them 
from the Northwind. Grijalva went over to the Ifiand 
with thirty Soldiers, in two Boats, where he found a 
Temple with Idols, and four Men who wore very long 
black Mantles with Hoods, being the Priefts of the 
Temple, and, that very Day, had facrificed two Boys, 
whom they found ripped open, and their Hearts taken 
out ; a piece of Cruelty which moved the Spaniards to 
Compafllon. Grijalvd aficed an Indian he had carried 
from the River de Banderas, who feemed a good rational 
Man, what that was for, who anfwered, that the People 
of Ulua would have it fo. The Name of the Spanifio 
Commander in chief being John, and the time of the 
Year about the Feafl of St. John Baptifi, he gave that 
Name to the Ifiand, and accordingly it has always been 
called St. John de Ulua, to diftinguifii it from , St. John 
de Puerto Rico. 
Grijalva ftaid there leven Days bartering for fome 
fmall quantity of Gold ; the Men being quite tired with 
the Trouble given by Gnats, having certain Knowledge 
-that the Land they had been on was the Continent, and 
that there were great Towns on it, juftifying the Name 
given it of New Spain •, the Cazibi Bread growing 
mouldy and bitter, and the Mien being too few to fettle 
a Colony, becaufe ten had died of their Wounds, and 
others were fick j it was thought fit to give an Account 
VoL. II. Numb. 
of all things to the Governor Velafquez, efpecially as 
he had ordered not to make any Settlement, that he 
might fend a greater Number if he fhould judge it fit to be 
done ; for Grijalva, notwithffanding all the aforefaid Rea- 
fons to the contrary, was always of Opinion to build a 
Town. Peter de Alverado was luade Choice of to carry 
this Meffage to James Velafquez, in the Ship St. Sc- 
baftian, and to take with him all the Gold and other 
things that had been traded for, and all the fick. Ve- 
lafquez, after the Departure of Grijalva, from Cuba, had 
been in much Care for his Ships, as failing on unknown 
Seas, and therefore fent Chnfiopher de Olido, a Commander 
of Note, in a Ship with feventy Soldiers, to get Intelli- 
gence. 
He being at Anchor on the Cpafi; of Yucatan, there 
arofe, fuch a Storm as obliged him to cut his Cables, 
and run back to Santiago, in Cuba, v/ hence he had fet 
out ; and, at the fame time, arrived Peter de Alverado 
with the Gold, Cotton, Cloths, and a Relation of what 
had been done and difcovered, which was mighty agree- 
able to V dafquez, who conceived great hopes of that Eii- 
terprize, and the Report was fpread abroad to the great 
Allonifiiment of all Men. 
Velafyuez being a fevere Man to thofe that ferved him, 
and efpecially provoked againft fuch as were mifrepre- 
fented, alfo overTcredulous, and Peter de Alverado having 
been one of thofe that were for fettling a Colony, and re- 
prefenting the Affair to him as lie thought fit, gave him 
very ill Imprefiions of the Man v/ho had ferved him fo 
faithfully, and with fuch ftrift regard to the Orders 
he received from him at his Departure. But before we 
infift on this, let us return to our Difcoverers, and to 
the Progrefs they made in their Defign of obtaining a 
clear Account of this Part of the Continent. 
When Captain Alverado was gone for Cuba, Grijalva., 
by the Advice of the Captains and Pilots, continued his 
Difcovery; and coafting along in fight of the Moun- 
tains oAYufpa, fo called from the Town near by them, and 
others, higher than they, for the fame Reafon, called 
Yufpa •, farther in the Province of Panuce, they faw 
Towns, and a Paver which they called Decancas. As 
they lay at Anchor, not being upon their Guard, ten 
Canoes, full of armed Men, appeared, ' and drawing 
near to the lead; Ship, commanded by Alonfo dl Avila, 
, poured in a flight of Arrows, wounded five Soldiers, 
laid hold of the Cables and cut one, intending to carry 
off the Ship ; and, though the Men in it behaved well, 
and overfet two of the Canoes, yet they flood in need 
of the Fire-arms from the other Ships for the moft of 
the Indians being wounded by them, defifted from their 
Enterprize, and Iheered off ; -the Spaniards failed along 
the Coaft till they came to a very large Point of Land, 
which being very difficult to double, and the Currents 
extraordinary ftrong; the Pilot Alaminos, gave Grijalva 
many Reafons to fiiew that it was not convenient to 
proceed any farther that Way ; the Captains, Pilots, and 
principal Men, confulting together what fnould be done, 
thofe that had been before for fettling a Colony, were 
for turning back to find a proper Place for it. 
The Captains, Montejo, and Avila, who differed in 
Judgment, alledged that Winter was drawing on, and 
Provifions were fcarce, for which Reafon, and becaufe one 
of the Ships was leaky, it was proper to return to Cuba ; 
befides, that they were not able to maintain their Ground 
becaufe the Natives were numerous and warlike, and the 
Spaniards much fatigued with being fo long at Sea. Gri- 
jalva confidering that his Inffruftions wer^ pofitive not 
to fettle, and that his Commanders oppofed it, urging 
fufficient Reafons, thought fit to comply, and, tacking 
about, they arrived at the great River of Guazacoallo, 
but could not enter it, the Weather preventing them. 
They proceeded to that of Yonala, which they called of • 
St. Antony, where they careened the leaky Ship. In the 
mean time many Indians came from the Town, which, 
was a League off, v/ith Liens, Bread, and other Eat- 
ables, which they parted with for Sp'anifh Toys and the 
News being fpread abroad, others came from Guazacoallo 
and the re.ft of the Neighbouring Towns, bringing Pro- 
vifions, fame fmall Gold Plates;, and Copper Axes, very 
R bright. 
