Pánfilo de Narváez, 1528 . This colonizing expedition was originally intended to settle along the northwestern Gulf coast just north of Cortés' New Spain colony, but severe storms drove the fleet to Tampa Bay on Florida's west coast, where the members of the expedition tried in vain to discover Diego Miruelo's bay, and eventually marched overland to the land of the Apalachee Indians at modern Tallahassee. From there, the expedition constructed improvised barges and attempted to skirt the northern Gulf coast toward northern Mexico, though most died along the way. Eight years later, Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and three surviving companions finally reached Mexico City after wandering in an epic journey across the interior of Texas and northern Mexico.