Francisco Vasquez de Coronado spent his final night in a feather bed on April 21, 1540, before leaving the next morning on a very expensive treasure hunt, the search for the Seven Cities of Ciboloa.

Exaggerated accounts from two footsore travelers inspired the last of the conquistadores to embark on the costly caravan. After six years in the wilds of Texas, Cabeza de Vaca appeared out of nowhere with a second-hand report of fabulous treasure. Indians, who befriended the shipwrecked sailor, had filled his head with visions of sparkling cities of gold and silver that lay beyond the western horizon.

Sent by the Mexican viceroy to verify de Vaca