Jerónimo Aguilar (abt. 1489 - abt. 1531)

Born about 1489 in Écija, Spain

Died about 1531 at about age 42 in Panuco, Mexico

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Biography

Jerónimo de Aguilar was born in 1489 in Écija, Spain. He was a Franciscan monk sent as a missionary to Panama. In 1511 he was shipwrecked in the Yúcatan Peninsula along with several other people. They were captured by an unfriendly group of Maya. Several of the survivors were executed and others died. De Aguilar and a fellow survivor, Gonzalo Guerrero, ran away and were caught by a friendlier tribe. There de Aguilar learned Maya and became friendly with the group Chief. De Aguilar was a captive for 8 years, refusing to give up his vows of chastity and loyalty to Spain. In 1519 Hernán Cortés came to the peninsula and rescued de Aguilar. Guerrero decided to stay with the Maya and later was killed in a skirmish against the Spaniards. De Aguilar became a translator during the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. De Aquilar spoke Maya and Spanish. He worked with Malinalli Tenépatl, also known as "La Malinche." Malinalli spoke Maya and the local language, Náhuatl. Therefore Cortés communicated with Aguilar in Spanish, Aguilar with Malinalli in Maya, and Malinalli with inhabitants of Moctezuma’s empire in Náhuatl. They worked as a team translating to the local language until Malinalli learned Spanish and his service was no longer needed as badly as it was before.

After the conquest, de Aguilar became a resident of Mexico City. He passed away in 1531 without heirs.

Sources

• Gerónimo de Aguilar. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, August 7, 2021. Geronimo.