The Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão had reached the Zaire River in 1483. He met some Kongo notables and took two of them back to Portugal, returning again on his second voyage in 1485, when he visited the capital of the Kongo kingdom. As a result of these early contacts Dom João II decided to send a full-scale embassy, which was dispatched in 1491 under Dom João da Silva, who died of plague during the voyage. The reception of this embassy is described by Rui de Pina in great detail and shows how the Kongo elites sought to incorporate these new experiences into their view of the spirit world. This account of the reception of the embassy by the ruler of the province of Sonyo shows how important the new religion appeared to the ruling elite of Kongo. The ruler of the province was determined that he would be the first person initiated into the new cult, which he had every intention of controlling. Rui de Pina incorporates much detail about the religious ceremonies of the Kongo, as well as other important information such as the fact that the Kongo kingdom maintained a fleet.