By about 1470 the Portuguese had arrived on the coast of what would later become the Gold Coast, now Ghana. Having established a trading post, the Portuguese engaged in trade with the indigenous Fanti and other traders from the interior particularly Ashanti. Trade came along with the building of forts and castles and also with the introduction of Christianity albeit at a slow pace and limited to the forts and castles. By the end of the sixteenth century these fortresses particularly Elmina and Christiansburg castles had Catholic priests who were stopping over on missions to other parts of Africa and considering the possibility of opening a mission in either Accra or Elmina. Such plans never materialised mostly due to lack of commitment, early death of the missionaries or lack of funds.