Gerónimo de Aguilar
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Gerónimo de Aguilar (1489-1531?) was a Franciscan friar born in Seville. Aguilar would later become tied with the 1519 Spanish conquest of Mexico, and with the mythical La Malinche.
In 1511 Aguilar left Panama on a caravel sailing to Santo Domingo, accompanying the procurator Juan de Valdivia. They were shipwrecked near the Yucatán Peninsula due to bad weather, but Aguilar, along with a sailor from Palos, in Spain, Gonzalo Guerrero, were 2 of fifteen survivors. Strong currents brought them in their ship's boat to the coast of Mexico (Quintana Roo).
Aguilar and the others were captured by the local Maya and scheduled to be sacrificed to Maya gods. He and Gonzalo Guerrero eventually managed to escape, and were able to learn the language of his captors. Aguilar lived as a slave during his 8 years with the Maya. Guerrero became chief in time of war for Nachan Kaan, Lord of Chektumal, married a rich Maya woman and fathered the first mestizo children of Mexico.
Hernan Cortes invaded Mexico in 1519. Aguilar joined the expedition. Speaking both Maya and Spanish, he, and La Malinche, who could speak Maya and Nahautl translated for Cortes during the Conquest of Mexico.
Aguilar died in 1531(?) in a non disclosed location.
