Cabeza De Vaca Research Paper

The book “A Land So Strange” by Andrés Reséndez basically illustrates 8 years of long odyssey from what is now Tampa, Florida to Mexico City on Cabeza de Vaca’s perspective. Cabaza de Vaca along with his companions named Andres Dorante, Alonso del Castillo, and Estebanico, are survivors of failed expedition to New World from Spain during 16th century. Unlike other members from the expedition, these four members found a way to live with native Indian tribes to survive. They were slaves of Indians and treated cruelly all the time. However, after long period of time of being slaves, they decided to make escape to Spanish territory. During their fugitive period, they had chance to help injured Indians. Their knowledge of certain medicine,

During his time as a slave he befriended his captors, who trusted him, allowing him to serve as a trader (Doc B).Since his captors trusted him, he was allowed to go within 150 miles of the coast. After many years of captivity, he made first contact with Spaniards. The Spaniards tried to convince the Native Americans to not look up to Cabeza, but rather themselves since they were richer and better dressed. Since they were friends, the Natives stayed truthful to Cabeza and did not leave him. Since the Natives were friends with Cabeza and they trusted him, they would help him out and show him to where he needed to be and not lead him in a wrong direction.

He also becomes a healer of faith, and actually gathers a large following consisting of both Natives and Spanish.

However, he then goes on to say how deeply moved they were, which is somewhat ironic. It's almost as if Cabeza de Vaca and his followers know that the Indians aren't truly unworthy creatures but they use what everybody already agrees upon to manipulate their supposed worthiness and justify their claims. He also goes on to explain the warrior-like tendencies of the Indians and how fierce and relentless they are. He describes them by saying, "whoever has to fight Indians must take great care not to let them think he is disheartened or that he covets what they own. In war they must be treated very harshly, for should they notice either fear or greed, as a people they know how to bide their time waiting for revenge and take courage from their enemies' fears. After using up all their arrows, they part, each going his own way, without attempting pursuit, although one side might have more men than the other. Such is their custom." (68) They have these customs that are very unnatural and are not normative behavior. Cabeza de Vaca refers to the customs of the Charruco Indians with great

A third reason Cabeza was able to survive was he was useful to the Natives. Good evidence of this is when Cabeza proved how useful he was when he saved one of the Natives. Document C shows a report of Cabeza using his knife to cut open the man’s chest and removing an arrow. Cabeza stitched the man up and he was healed. This act made Cabeza of use to the Natives, because they realized that keeping him alive and able to heal others was important to them. This evidence also explains how Cabeza stayed alive, because without Cabeza showing himself to be of use to the Natives, they may have seen him as a threat and killed him right then and there.

Cabeza De Vacaśsurvival was a mystery among others or was it ? In the spring of 1527 five spanish ships set sail for the New world one of them was holding a man named Cabeza De Vaca.After waiting for winter to stop Panfilo De Narvaez (The leader of the expedition) hopelessly confused made accidental landfall near modern day tampa bay,Florida After 2 difficult months,Narvaez and his men arrived at Apalache Bay and only new he had to travel west to get to mexico and told the men to melt guns down into tools to build 5 rafts that could hold fifty men and one of the five rafts was led by Cabeza. Some wondered how Cabeza survived when he came back from his horrible trip and I have three of many to tell you abou. Cabezaś survival was attributed by having faith in god, the ability to be trusted by indians,and being able to heal the indians.

“Cabeza and his crew members changed their route in order to avoid potential battle with the Indians, this lengthened their trip considerably.” (Doc. A) “I inserted the knife point, and with great difficulty, at last I pulled it out. And this cure gave us a very great reputation among them throughout the whole land.” (Doc. C) “In order to survive Cabeza had to live off the land just like an Indian would do, he later became friends with them and helped the tribes trade amongst each other, eventually learning some of their languages.” (Doc. B) These statements all conclude to the fact that Cabeza respected the Native Americans and in return the Indians gave him their

Cabeza de Vaca was known for his discovery of America. He documented his trek in America, as a lost traveler, exposed to unfamiliar territory, multiple hardships, and the native Indian tribes. His journal entry over his reencounters with the Christians is only a small record over his adventures on the whole Narvaez Expedition of 1528. The document was published in Spain, 1542, at a time when dispute over the mistreatment of natives in America in their colonization became a subject to resolve. His journal entry discusses his brief experience in an Indian tribe, the news he receives of nearby Spanish men penetrating the tribal communities, and the realization that the “Christians” were not a character he thought they were. Cabeza de Vaca sympathized the indigenous tribes and believed that they should not face the cruelty the Spanish settlers set in order to

Also Cabeza had high respect for the natives. He became friends with his captives and did not act like was better than any of them.( document B) He learned many different languages so he could communicate to the other Indians this gained him respect and helped him stay alive. He cured the Indians and did what they asked him to do so they would trust him with harder tasks (document

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and his companions, Andres Dorantes, Alonzo del Castillo Maldonado, and Estevan were the sole survivors of a four hundred men expedition. The group of them went about the friendly Indian tribes preforming miracles of healing, with the power of Christianity. At one time five sick persons were brought into the camp, and the Indians insisted that Castillo should cure them. At sunset he pronounced a blessing over the sick, and all the Christians united in a prayer to God, asking him to restore the sick to health, and on the following morning there was not a sick person among them. De Vaca and his companions reached the Pacific coast where the Indians, showed signs of civilization, living in houses covered with straw, wearing cotton clothes and dressed skins, with belts and ornaments of stone, and cultivating their fields, but had been driven therefrom by the brutal Spanish soldiery and had taken refuge in the mountains, de Vaca and his comrades, being regarded as emissaries from the Almighty, exercised such power over these untutored savages that, at their bidding, the Indians returned to their deserted habitations, and began again to cultivate their fields, the assurance being given them by de Vaca and his companions that henceforth they would

Cabeza survived because of his wilderness skills, by using all the resources he had like eating horses (I’ve eaten horse in Kazakhstan, it tastes good actually!), since there was a lack of water, he hollowed out horse legs and filled them with water whenever he had the chance. He also watched what the natives ate, so he did the same since he was enslaved, and there was hardly any food. He learned the charrucos language and sign language to communicate to the Indians when he ran away from the Indians that enslaved him. “Cabeza learned 4 native american languages including charrucos plus sign language. Cabeza drank

According to Document B, Cabeza De Vaca learned four Indian languages. Also in Document C, it states that this cure gave us a very great reputation among them throughout the land. It shows that they care on what they think of them, so they learned their language which is a sign of respect. It also shows that since he was a healer he took the time out of his day to heal the people that were wounded who are Native American. This shows that not only did he respect the Native Americans, but the Native Americans respected him. He survived by learning their language and healing their wounded

Cabeza de Vaca, a conquistador, shipwreck in the Island of Bad Luck. A year later on 4 out of the 250 men survive having nothing but each other. After many year of being a slave, working endlessly and never eating, he wanted quits. Him and 3 other survivors went to Mexico City to escape this nightmare. So how did Cabeza survive his journey? With god by his side and the hope of living was not the only reason why he survive, some main reasons why he survived was by his wilderness skill being amazing, he was considered a shaman to the Indians, and his ability to use his communication skills.

When Cabeza de Vaca came to America he never thought he would get captured by Indians. Or have to use his patience, healing powers and his awesome survival skills. But he had a purpose, and he achieved this goal. Making his country very proud, and that’s what it’s almost all about. He fought through his pain instead of feeling it. Dying of old age, not of death, in his proud country, always having a story after him. He was a brave explorer, a skillful survivor, and a awesome man. He will always be symbol to his country of that

While on the journey, Cabeza de Vaca uses a gloomy tone in his report La Relacion. Some people believe in God and some do not. After the crash de Vaca explains in his narrative ,“Nothing but God’s great mercy kept us from going down” (de Vaca 73). He believed that they are still alive because God is protecting them and even though some of the spaniards died God is still protecting them. Death is very scary for a lot of people because no one knows what happens after a someone dies. In other words, de vaca writes, “ I would have welcomed death rather than see so many around me in such condition” (deVaca 73). de Vaca was feeling very terrible when he said this and did not want to be alive and would rather be dead more than anything while writing this in his narrative.