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On February 18, 1519 Cortes' expedition set sail from Cuba. Smooth sailing brought them to Cozumel, an island off the coast of Yucatan. There, Cortes found Geronimo de Aguilar, a Spaniard who had been shipwrecked from a previous expedition. Aguilar spoke the local Maya language and joined the expedition.
Cortes sailed along the coast of Yucatan and stopped at a large native settlement by the Tabasco River. The native Mayas asked the expedition to leave, wanting "neither war nor trade." After a battle and an easy victory because of Spanish weapons, Cortes was able to destroy the local idols. The leaders promised to obey Cortes and brought him gifts of fruit, birds, ornaments made of gold, and 20 women to cook tortillas and serve them, including a woman named Malintzin, who would become an important key in the conquest of the Aztecs.
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