Chichen Itza
Yucatán conquest by Spain
Yucatán, Mexico
In 1526 Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo successfully petitioned the King of Spain for a charter to conquer Yucatán. His first campaign in 1527, which covered much of the Yucatán Peninsula, decimated his forces but ended with the establishment of a small fort at Xaman Haʼ, south of what is today Cancún.