Our Catliolic Heritage in T e:xas
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quent history of the exploration of the coast of the present State of Texas was the presence of Ponce de Leon's former pilot, Anton de Alaminos. The expedition sailed to the northwest for several days until a tropical storm overtook the little fleet and threw it upon the coast of Yucatan. in the vicinity of Cape Catoche, which was named by Cordova. "From the ships we saw a large town, apparently two leagues from the coast ... larger than any we had seen in Cuba or Hispaniola," declares Diaz del Castillo. Influenced by the prevailing belief that still lingered, they called the city the Grand Cairo. This was the first time that Europeans came in contact with the now decadent civilization of the Mayas. Cordova and his companions were deeply impressed with the evident signs of culture they now witnessed. The men from the town came out in large canoes, capable of holding as many as forty persons, to visit the strangers. They wore clothes made of cotton fabric, they had artistic ornaments of gold, trimmed with precious stones, and were superior to those of any Indians seen by the Spaniards before in tierra firma. The feigned friendliness with which they received Cordova and his companions was a stratagem to draw them into the interior. With all due caution the Spaniards accepted the invitation to visit the town and complied with the request of the chief, who kept repeating cones catoclte, meaning in his language "come with me," an expression to which the cape owes its name. Before the little band had advanced far inland. they were set upon by a large number of Mayas who had hidden them- selves in ambush. Only the coolness of the commander and the tried courage of the adventurers saved them from total destruction. Hardly a man made his way back to the ships who had not received a wound. For fifteen days the little fleet cautiously sailed along the coast, at the suggestion of Anton Alaminos, in an effort to determine whether the new land was an island or part of the mainland. As they proceeded they noted other cities as impressive as the first one. Forced to land to secure water, they touched upon the coast of Campeche, near a very large town, where they observed the same signs of superior native civili- zation. Obliged to board their vessels by the threatening attitude of the Indians, they resumed their exploration. A severe storm forced them to land a third time, but the natives faced them with even greater fury than the raging elements. After a lively engagement in which Cordova sustained the loss of fifty men, the survivors succeeded in reaching their ships and they sailed away. Cordova, wounded like most of his companions, decided to return to
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