The Indians in this part of California are known as the Cahuilla. One band of this tribe has lived in the Palm Springs area for centuries. Most historians agree on the fact that the first Europeans to make extended contact with them were members of the Romero expedition in 1823-24. Romero was a Brevet Captain from Sonora who was sent into the Coachella Valley by the new Mexican government to find a route through the desert to Tucson. Romero's part stopped at Sexhi, which is what the Indians called Palm Springs, and after inquiring if there was any gold in the area, were told, "No gold, senor,but we have water." Sticking his toe in the water, the Captain probably exclaimed, "Agua caliente, agua caliente! "--in Spanish, hot water. They named the place Agua Caliente, and from that time on the Indians there have been known as the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians