 The expedition, which Lugo had also funded with the sale of all of his properties, had landed at Santa Cruz, where he built two towers on the spot where he had constructed his first fort before his prior defeat.After fortifying Santa Cruz, the Castilian marched on 13–14 November towards La Cuesta, a strategic high point to which the forces ascended to San Cristóbal de La Laguna from the coast.The Castilians maintained Santa Cruz as their base of operations, with their fleet waiting there in case of a defeat.