In 1719, he was camped near the settlement of São Gonçalo, when he found gold at the shore of the
Coxipó-Mirim creek in the modern State of
Mato Grosso. That day, April 8, is considered to be the day that Cuiabá was founded. The city's foundation, as Leme states himself, was to ensure the appropriation of the land and gold fields for the
Portuguese Crown, although that land was technically the property of the
Spanish Crown according to the
Treaty of Tordesillas. ==See also==