[3] According to legend, the Sacambaya river housed a hoard of treasure hidden by Jesuit missionaries in 1745 before the expulsion from the area.

[4]: 172  Cecil Prodgers, a Boer war veteran, claimed to have learned about these legends from a document given to him by the family of an elderly Jesuit priest.

[4][6] Dr. Edgar Sanders, a Swiss adventurer born in Russia who was living in London, became obsessed with finding this treasure.

Sanders contracted a German scientist named Charles Gladitz to confirm that gold was present at the site.

Sanders worked with Hillgarth to form the Sacambaya Exploration Company, with the goal of finding the treasure.