Alonso Alvarez de Pineda mapped the Texas Gulf Coast in the 1520s. In 1527, Panfilo de Narvaez led an expedition to Florida in search of gold but his forces became lost in swamps. Storms destroyed their ships, leaving Narvaez and his men stranded. They built boats to escape but Narvaez drowned, and two ships landed on an island off the Texas coast called Malhado. Only four men, including Cabeza de Vaca, survived. They spent eight years traveling along the Texas coast, interacting with Native Americans and gathering food to trade before being rescued in 1536.