In 1518, Grijalva became one of the first to explore the shores of
Mexico. According to
Hernán Cortés, 170 people went with him, but according to
Pedro Mártir, there were 300 people. The
main pilot was
Antón de Alaminos, the other pilots were Juan Álvarez (also known as
el Manquillo), Pedro Camacho de Triana, and Grijalva. Other members included
Francisco de Montejo,
Pedro de Alvarado,
Bernal Díaz del Castillo,
Juan Díaz, Francisco Peñalosa, Alonso de Ávila, The
Río Grijalva in Mexico was named after him. He was also the first Spaniard to encounter
Moctezuma II's delegation. One of the natives joined them, being baptized as Francisco, and became a
Nahuatl interpreter on Cortes' expedition.
Bernal Díaz del Castillo wrote about the travels of Juan de Grijalva in his book
Historia de las Indias.. According to W H Prescott's "Conquest of Mexico," Grijalva was the first Spaniard to bring back word of the plentiful gold hoard of the Aztecs, inflaming passions for conquest. In 1518
Hernán Cortés stayed at Juan's home in
Trinidad, Cuba, at the start of his Mexican expedition. He recruited men there, including the five Alvarado brothers. Juan de Grijalva was killed by natives in
Honduras on 21 January 1527. ==References==