Villa de Santa María de la Victoria
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The Villa de Santa María de la Victoria was located in what is now the Mexican state of Tabasco. Now no longer in existence, it was located in the place occupied by the Mayan city of Potonchán, capital of the kingdom of Tabscoob.
The Villa de Santa María de la Victoria was founded on 25 March 1519 by Hernán Cortés himself, after defeating the indigenous people in what is known as the Battle of Centla. It was the first Spanish settlement in what later became Mexico.
Continuous pirate attacks that plagued the town for more than a hundred years. Additionally, the region was abandoned by the colonial authorities and consequently from 1557 the inhabitants started to gradually abandon the town in order to settle in areas away from pirate aids. This forced the Spanish authorities to found the town of San Juan Bautista (today Villahermosa) on 24 June 1564. The final blow for the Villa de Santa María de la Victoria came in 1641. The Viceroy Diego López Pacheco authorized the powers of the province of Tabasco to be changed from Santa María de la Victoria to the town of San Juan Bautista. With the passing of the time, the last inhabitants left the village.