Francisco de Montejo (the Nephew)

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Francisco de Montejo (the Nephew) (Spanish: Francisco de Montejo (el Sobrino), 1514–1572), was a Spanish conqueror.

The 3 Montejo's house, circa 1548. Located in the Plaza Grande in Mérida, Yucatán. 19th century lithograph.
File:Valladolid yucatan.JPG
Church of San Gervasio in Valladolid, Yucatán.

At 13 years old embarks with his uncle, Francisco de Montejo "El Adelantado" and his cousin Francisco de Montejo y León "el Mozo" toward to the conquest of Yucatán in 1527.[1] On May 28, 1543[2] he founded the town of Valladolid (present Mexican state of Yucatán), in Chouac-Ha. A year later, Valladolid is transferred to Zací.

In the third phase of the conquest of Yucatán, he attended the first garrison in San Pedro Champotón, locality in which the natives began to pay tribute to the Spaniards, however, the offensive of the campaign took a long time to start because "El Adelantado" and "el Mozo", were pooling resources and soldiers, so the position was in danger because the Mayan caciques began to conspire. "The Nephew" anticipated and kidnapped the principal lords of the area leading them to his cousin in Tabasco, where renewed vows of obedience to the crown. The name of Champotón would change from "San Pedro" to "Salamanca de Champotón" after this incident.

Finally with resources obtained, "El Mozo" and "El Sobrino" (the Nephew) along with other captains sent by "el Adelantado", began the third and final campaign of the conquest moving from west to east of the peninsula.

"The Nephew" usually was at the forefront of military campaigns.[3]

Francisco de Montejo "The Nephew" lived his last years in Mérida, where he died as a councilman in 1572, at the age of 55.

References

  1. Landa, Diego de (1568) Relación de las cosas de Yucatán cap. IV Conquistadores y clérigos texto en la web arteHistoria, Junta de Castilla y León"...He came to Sevilla with a thirteen years old nephew with his same name, and in Seville found his son 28 years who brought with him..."
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  3. "Conquista y Colonización de Yucatán", capítulos XI y XII de Robert S.Chamberlain, Ed. Porrúa 1974