In 1539, with the report of conquest of the Inca Empire in 1533 still fresh in his mind, the cautious yet hopeful Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza sent a priest to verify stories of undiscovered cities of wealth. Nearly a decade earlier, an Indian called Tejo had reported seven cities as large as Mexico City, with silversmiths' shops lining their streets, but lying forty days' journey inland across nearly barren country. The priest, Fray Marcos de Niza, confirmed the size of at least one city, and his report convinced Mendoza to organize Coronado's ambitious expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola.