Francisco de Montejo y León (el Mozo) (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾansisko de montexo]) was a spanish conqueror, he was born in 1502. Founder in 1542 of the City of Mérida, capital of State of Yucatán, Mexico. Son of Francisco de Montejo. Circa June of 1527 at the age of 26 years he sailed with his father and his cousin, Francisco de Montejo "the Nephew" from Sanlúcar de Barrameda to Cozumel starting the first military campaign of the conquest of Yucatán.[1]
In 1528 came to the now lost city of Santa Maria de la Victoria (first Spanish city in Mexican territory in current state of Tabasco) with the mission to pacify the area, being, in 1530, leader of the peacekeeping campaigns when his father leaves for the conquest of Yucatán.
However, when he had already pacified virtually the entire region of Grijalva River, the First Court dismisses his father while he was in Honduras and appoint Baltazar Osorio as Mayor of Tabasco, so "El Mozo", is forced to leave Santa Maria de la Victoria, founded at the mouth of San Pedro river the town of Salamanca de Xicalango, where he waited his father's instructions.
Due to the uprising of the indigenous against the Spanish authorities in Tabasco, in 1535, by order of the Second Court, Francisco de Montejo was restored in office, he sent his son "El Mozo" to restart again the pacification of the province, partially achieved in 1537.
In 1539 he was awarded the title of Captain General and Governor of Tabasco, but in 1540 he left Tabasco to accompany his father on a new attempt for the conquest of Yucatán.
In 1542 he achieved the surrender of western Yucatán Peninsula (now part of the state of Yucatán) and founded on the former Mayan city of Ichkansihóo (T'Hó), then practically abandoned, the city of Mérida.[2] After the conquest, he lived in the city of Mérida, but later changed his residence to Guatemala, where he died after a long illness on February 8, 1565.[3]
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