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Map of the Voyage of Grijalva (1518)
Route of Grijalva's voyage in 1518 (Map: Athena Review).
In
order to explore the Caribbean and Gulf Coast of Mexico, four ships
with 300 men sailed from Havana on April 8, 1518 under Juan de
Grijalva, nephew of the Cuban governor Velasquez. Grijalva's expedition
was documented in both the Itinerario de l'Armata by the chaplain, Juan Díaz, and an account by the soldier, Bernal Díaz de Castillo.
Grijalva's
ships reached hundreds of miles up the Gulf Coast as far as the Río
Panuco (around Tampico), before returning to Cuba. Among other
things, both Juan Díaz and Bernal Díaz de Castillo reported temples on
mounds near densely populated coastal towns, with remains of
human sacrifices related to Aztec practices seen at Isla de Sacrificios
in the Totonac region. In the next year (1519), as chronicled by
Bernal Díaz, Cortés followed Grijalva's coastal route as far
north as Cempoala.
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