Sometime around 1515 A.D., give or take three years.
In 1511, fifteen Spanish sailors were shipwrecked in Yucatan and captured by the local Mayas. A few of the Spaniards were served for dinner, others died but two of them survived, including one Gonzalo Guerrero who became a military advisor to a Mayan chieftain, married a rich Mayan woman and had children with her.
When Cortez landed in Cozumel, he heard about these two Spanish survivors and sent messengers inviting them to join him. One survivor joined Cortez and became a translator for his expedition. However, Guerrero declined to rejoin Spanish society saying, "Look at my beautiful children, look at my beautiful wife. And how could I ever go back to Spain looking as I do?" He'd been extensively tattooed by then, in recognition of his achievements on the battlefield.
Guerreos children were the first Mexican Mestizos (people of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry).
Over the centuries, Spaniards in Mexico married frequently with Indian wives producing more Mestizos.
Today, Mexico's population is approximately 60% Mestizo, 30% pure Indian and 9% white.
The Mexicans consider the Mestizo to be "the Mexican race" (La Raza), consider Guerrero's children to be "The First Mexicans" and consider Guerrero to be "El Padre del Mestizaje".........literally, "The Father of the Mestizo Race". (Which beats the hell out of being "The First Spanish Food".)
Monument to Gonzalo Guerrero, his wife Ixpilotzma and their children, the first "Mexicans"
