The Spanish crown then established the Province of Veragua and made the Spanish captain Francisco Vázquez, survivor of a dramatic El Dorado expedition, its first governor in 1560. Santa Fe was founded around that time for the purpose of gold mining.
After the Spanish conquests in the Americas, what is now the province of Veraguas was awarded to Columbus’ grandson Luís, who launched several expeditions to subdue the native population and firmly establish control. He sold his rights back to the Spanish crown after the attempts proved unsuccessful.