Cristóbal de Olid (; 1487–1524) was a Spanish adventurer, conquistador and rebel who played a part in the conquest of

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

and Honduras. Jal-ixco

Born in

Baeza Baeza may refer to: * Baeza, Ecuador * Baeza, Spain ** University of Baeza ** Baeza Cathedral * '' Brusqeulia baeza'', a species of moth People * Baeza (rapper) (born 1993), American rapper, singer, actor, hip hop producer, and songwriter * Acar ...

, Olid grew up in the household of the governor of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar Diego Velázquez de CuéllarPronounced: (1465 – c. June 12, 1524) was a Spanish conquistador and the first governor of Governorate of Cuba, Cuba. In 1511 he led the successful conquest and colonization of Cuba. As the first governor of t ...

. In 1518 Velázquez sent Olid to relieve Juan de Grijalva, but en route a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depe ...

caused the loss of Olid's anchors, and he returned to Cuba. On January 10, 1519, Olid sailed with

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish '' conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of w ...

's fleet, as his quartermaster, and took an active part in the conquest of Mexico.Diaz, B., 1963, ''The Conquest of New Spain'', London: Penguin Books, He fought at the Battle of Otumba on 14 July 1520, and also took part in the campaign against the Purépechas. During the Siege of Tenochtitlan, Cristóbal was one of Cortés' key captains, playing a critical role in the capture of

Xochimilco Xochimilco (; nci, Xōchimīlco, ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in t ...

. Cristobal was the Texcoco camp commander during the trial of Antonio de Villafana, for his plot to assassinate Cortes. Cristobal commanded one of four forces under Cortes, and acted as

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

. Olid helped save Cortes at one point, when he was seized by the Mexicans in one of the causeway battles. Cortés sent Olid to Michoacan, after he had married a Portuguese lady. In 1522, Olid led Spanish soldiers with

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...

n allies in the conquests of

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...

and

Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...

in West Mexico .Cristóbal de Olid, 1522
/ref> In 1523, Cortés made Olid the leader of an expedition to conquer Honduras, but while resupplying in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Olid (at a suggestion by Velázquez) declared his independence from New Spain and set out to conquer Honduras for himself. Landing east of Puerto Caballos, he founded the settlement of Triunfo de la Cruz. Many of Olid's supporters moved to Naco, where there was good agricultural land and gold. When Cortés learnt of Olid's rebellion, he sent Francisco de Las Casas against Olid with two warships. Despite the fact that both these ships were destroyed in a

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

and many of his soldiers defected to Olid, Las Casas defeated Olid in battle and captured him. Accounts of how Olid died vary; Bernal Díaz del Castillo asserts in his ''Verdadera Historia de la Conquista de Nueva España'' that Las Casas had him beheaded at Naco, while Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas wrote that Olid's own soldiers rose up against and then murdered him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olid, Cristobal de 1487 births 1524 deaths People from Zaragoza Spanish conquistadors Colonial Mexico 16th-century Spanish people Aztec History of the Aztecs

See also

References