Eager to expand its New World empire, Spain authorized a 1775-1776 expedition to settle the port of San Francisco. Led by Juan Bautista de Anza, commander of the Royal Presidio of Tubac, the expedition traversed 1000 miles on foot, horseback, burro, and mule from Sonora, Mexico, to Alta California. This route made possible the transport of livestock, goods, and people to sustain the new settlements. Along the way, the expedition faced crossing the Colorado River at present-day Yuma, Arizona, where leaders from the Quechan tribe helped it cross on the way to California. Using this crossing and the route Anza mapped, settlers began flooding into California to establish San José and Los Angeles and to stamp California with the language and customs of their New World Hispanic culture.