As told by the locals . . .
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In 1513, a Spanish Galleon shipwrecked off the shore of Akumal. Seventeen of the sailors were washed up on the beach, where the Mayans captured them and made them slaves.
Fifteen died. The two survivors were Geronimo De Aguilar, who was a friar and warrior, and Gonzalo Guerrero. It was Guerrero who would have a lasting impact on the Akumal area culture.
Gonzalo Guerrero wound up marrying the Mayan princess Zazi and fathered the first mestizos, so called white Indian. He went on to teach the Maya new war techniques they would later use in their fight against Spaniards.
The Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes arrived in Cozumel and heard about the ship wreck and two survivors in Akumal. He sent emissaries to look for them. The search party located the two, and Geronimo de Aguilar was returned to Cortes' camp. Later, the rescued sailor would become the first translator and guide in the conquest of Mexico.
Gonzalo Guerrero adapted to his life with the Maya. As he told the emissaries he was no longer a Spaniard; he was Mayan. He stayed in Akumal with his wife and three children until he died in 1536. Today, a statue of Gonzalo Guerrero stands at the entrance to Akumal, just after the arch.
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