In search of fame and wealth; honor, glory and fortune; attracted by the fabulous treasure of El Dorado, and the immense spice wealth of the “Cinnamon Country”; Gonzalo de Pizarro, the most reckless and rebellious of the Pizarro family, initiated the expedition from Quito -meeting at the skirt of the volcano, in the Zumaco Valley- alongside its lieutenant, Francisco de Orellana, who came from Guayaquil city with twenty three men, armed with harquebuses and crossbows