Bernal Díaz: More Means, Three Times To Mexico

Bernal Díaz says this was the third time he had been along with a company going to Mexico. First, he says was with Francisco Hernández de Córdoba which left Cuba with the license of Diego Velásquez, and 110 men on February 8, 1517. The second with Juan de Grijalva and four ships, also carried the sanction of Governor Velásquez  and departed Cuba April 8, 1518. This third expedition with Cortés, at first with and then, against the wishes of Velásquez, left anyway, February 10, 1519, and made the trip to Mexico with eleven ships.

The first of these ventures was a real loss. On their third landing, looking for water, they went ashore and there took their rest. At dawn they awoke to find themselves surrounded and vastly outnumbered. An intense battle followed. Two of the Spaniards were taken alive, almost everyone was wounded and fifty were killed. There's no record of how many locals died. Then Córdoba's group returned to Cuba. Their first landing, Bernal says, looking for water, they met with a similar ambush and in that skirmish a pair of locals were captured, baptized and renamed, Julian and Melchorejo. These were taken back to Cuba as well and became interpreters.

The second expedition with Juan de Grijalva was better provisioned with four ships and Diego Velasquez himself insisted that Bernal Díaz go as the company's standard-bearer. They came ashore near Champonton and were attacked. Three of their company were killed, seventy wounded and Grijalva received arrow wounds and broken teeth for it. They continued, found the Mexican coast to otherwise be very fruitful and appealing and cemented for Grijalva the desire to land and settle here. Discovering Tabasco, Grijalva's company landed there and with the help of their interpreters began to set up trade there. Pedro de Alvarado was sent back to Cuba to ask for more ships and men from the Governor. But he had already been busy doing that as he was worried the crown back in Spain might give someone else the license to explore and settle that part of the new world.

Under the advice of a pair of close associates, Cortés was chosen to lead the next, the third expedition and this was to include ten ships. By this time Moctezuma knew of their arrival according to Díaz and was allowing the people on the coast to trade with them if they would. [pp 3-6]

from The Conquest of New Spain translated with an introduction and notes by Janet Burke and Ted Humphrey, Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Co, Inc. 2012