Essay On Cabeza De Vaca

“Cabeza de Vaca was born into the Spanish nobility in 1490. Little of his early life is known, except that he made his career in the military. In early 1527 he left Spain as a part of a royal expedition intended to occupy the mainland of North America.” http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/cabezadevaca.htm

“After their fleet was battered by a hurricane off the shore of Cuba, the expedition secured a new boat and departed for Florida. They landed in March 1528 near what is now Tampa Bay, which the expedition leader, Pánfilo de Narváez, claimed as the lawful possession of the Spanish empire. Despite this confident declaration, the expedition was on the verge of disaster. Narváez's decision to split his land and sea forces proved a grievous

He was one of the few survivors that made it to Texas. Once in Texas, Cabeza de Vaca came in contact with many different groups, some of which did not like him. He met many indian tribes along his journey and affected them in many different ways. The main indian tribe that he stayed with was the Karankawa Indians. Cabeza de Vaca did not exactly live with the Karankawa Indians, but was rather a slave. Although he was a slave during his time with the Karankawa Indians, he showed his medical skills and became a healer"

He served as a Mexican territorial governor, but was soon accused of corruption, perhaps for his enlightened conduct toward Indians. He returned to Spain and was convicted; a 1552 pardon allowed him to become a judge in Seville, Spain, a position which he occupied until his death in 1556 or 1557.” http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/cabezadevaca.htm “From 1529 to 1534, Cabeza de Vaca and these others lived a meagre life with the Karankawa Indians, in a state of semi-slavery and often separated from each other. During this time Cabeza de Vaca took advantage of his slight medical skills and remade himself as healer.”http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-070/summary/

“After Cabeza de Vaca recovered from a near-fatal illness, he became the first European of record to become a Texas merchant. He carried sea shells, some sharp enough to cut open mesquite beans, and what he called “beads of sea” into the interior reaches of Texas. He traded these wares for bison skins and red ochre, much prized by coastal natives for their body