ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA DE VACA

When it comes to journeys, one of the most incredible feats of the Americas exploration was done by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca.  Although much of Cabeza de Vaca’s early life is virtually unknown, we do know that he was born into Spanish nobility in 1490.  However, historians can prove that he made a great career for him in the military but in 1527; he chose to leave Spain on a royal expedition with the intention of occupying North America’s mainland. 

Soon leaving the shoreline of Cuba, the Cabeza de Vaca’s fleet was caught in a horrific hurricane, causing significant damage.  To continue on to Florida, they secured a new boat, landing near today’s Tampa Bay in 1528.  The expedition’s leader, Panfilo de Narvaez claimed legal possession of the Spanish empire.  Although Narvaez was confident about his claim, the expedition would soon be hit by disaster.  Narvaez had made the decision to split the land and sea, which proved to be a huge mistake since the ships were never able to coordinate with the land expedition.

Making matters worse, the party had overstayed their welcome in northern Florida with the Apalachee Indians, going as far as capturing the Indian’s leader.  During the Indians in full pursuit, they were met with several diseases.  The Indians not affected were left in a coastal swamp area, being forced to live off the meat of the horses.  Then in 1528, the Apalachee Indians constructed a few rafts made from the horsehides and trees and with that, set sail with anticipation of returning to Cuba.

The entire expedition had been reduced to around 80 survivors when another hurricane dumped Cabeza de Vaca and his companions near the current Galveston, Texas in the Gulf Coast.  Although initially welcomed, with about 50% of the natives dying from bowel disease, Cabeza de Vaca and his men were blamed for the deaths.  Over the next four years, the number of people with him continued to decline.  Living in an unknown world of natives, he was able to transform himself from a masterful conquistador into a healer and trader.

By the year 1532, just three members of the original expedition were alive – Andres Dorantes de Carranca, Alonso del Castillo Maldonando, and Estevan, an African slave.  The three along with Cabeza de Vaca decided to move west and then south with the hope of reaching the Spanish Empire’s outpost located in Mexico.  With this, they would become the first men from the Old World to enter the American West.  Although their exact route is not quite clear, experts estimate they would have traveled from today’s Texas possibly into Arizona or New Mexico, and then through the northern provinces of Mexico.

During the summer of 1536 near current day Sinaloa, known then as Culican, the group of men met a group of fellow Spaniards on a slave-taking expedition.  In his journal, Cabeza de Vaca wrote that the people seemed dumbfounded by his appearance since he was oddly dressed and traveling with Indians.  As you can imagine, Cabeza de Vaca was friends with Indians so seeing the way in which the other Spaniards were treating them appalled him.

Returning to Spain in 1573, Cabeza de Vaca published his account of this and other experiences, trying to encourage the crown to develop a more generous policy.  From there, he served as the governor of a Mexican territory but soon after was accused of corruption with many believing it had something to do with him speaking out about the poor conduct toward Indians.  When he returned to Spain, he was tried and convicted but receiving a pardon in 1552, Cabeza de Vaca was actually permitted to become a judge in Seville, Spain where he remained until he died in 1557.