 Juan de Grijalva arrived to this town on June 8, 1518, and christened the river with his name and met with the Maya chief Tabscoob to whom, it is said, he gave his green velvet doublet.Later, on March 12, 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived.Cortés, unlike Grijalva, was received by the natives in a warlike fashion, leading to the Battle of Centla.