The Spanish began to probe into New Mexico in the sixteenth century, driven by tantalizing legends of rich civilizations hidden in the region’s arid deserts. Though none had seen these places, Native accounts hinted at cities of great wealth in the lands to the north and west of Mexico. Spanish adventurers followed these rumors northward but found themselves chasing phantom cities of gold and silver. Disappointed, the Spanish retreated from the region until the sixteenth century. In 1595, Juan de Onante, the son of a prosperous silver miner, was given command of an expedition with orders to take control of the region. After a sluggish start, Onante’s expedition eventually made its way northward from the Valley of Mexico, penetrating into New Mexico in 1598. The expedition established the first Spanish settlements in the region in the hope that it would become another resource-rich bulwark of the Spanish Empire. In this, the settlers were disappointed.