Maya citadel of Tulum observed by Juan de Grijalva in 1518. Juan de Grijalva sailed from Cuba to Yucatan in 1518 with a fleet of four ships He landed in Cozumel and took over a small town on its south end He sailed down the coast and observed what is believed to be Tulum
In 1518, a Spanish explorer sailing down the coast became the first European to glimpse what we believe was Tulum. He described a citadel on a cliff with hundreds of Maya waving him in. Frightened, he declined to land and sailed onward.
Key Facts
- Juan de Grijalva sailed from Cuba to Yucatan in 1518 with a fleet of four ships
- He landed in Cozumel and took over a small town on its south end
- He sailed down the coast and observed what is believed to be Tulum
- He described Tulum as a citadel on a cliff with hundreds of Maya gathered on the coast waving him in
- Grijalva declined to land due to fear of the gathering Maya forces
Related site: Tulum — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The Conquistador who became a Maya War Captain by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart