Oral tradition claims that a Spaniard named Juan González somehow survived long enough after being severely injured in the initial Taíno offensive of the Spanish–Taíno War of San Juan–Borikén to reach the region of Toa and warn the conquistadores. Ten years after the beginning if the colonization, more than 17 estates were built in the region, with harvests being transported through the Toa river to Palo Seco and to the Capital from there. After Ponce de León transferred Hacienda del Rey to other Spaniards, the estate steadily declined and by 1524 denounces were made about its state. As more Spanish families settled, problems between neighbors arose, prompting Francisco de Negrete to request that a mayor was assigned to the region in 1611. However, it is not until 1731 that ra mayor, Juan Dávila, appears in the records. During the following decades, more than 24 mayors would serve office, with military officers taking prominence beginning in the 1740s.