Colorados Famous People

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,

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado – left in search of gold – Seven Cities of Cibola

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is best known as the first Spaniard to explore what we now consider to be southwestern United States. His nine-year odyssey is chronicled within the book The Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition. His account is considered especially interesting because it is one of the very first documents that illustrates interactions between American natives and explorers. However, when examining the exploration of the modern United States, there are many arguments that have to do with the entitlement to the land and the motivations behind settling in the first place. Most explorers were obviously in favor of their own conquests and Cabeza de Vaca is of course no exception. In Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition, Cabeza de

According to (http://americanaejournal.hu/vol4no2/gomez-galisteo), in 1527 a Spanish soldier Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was appionted treasurer to expedition of Panfilo de Narvaez to Florida. Cabeza de Vaca had many duties to fulfill but particularly he was given the task to write an official report to inform Emperor Charles V of the goals, achievements, and circumstances of the journey. During the expedition there was a fault that consisted of the travelers getting lost and losing contact with their ships, and only Cabeza de Vaca and three other members returned to Spanish territory a decade later. One of his reports back to Charles V was Cabeza de Vaca’s experiences living amid the Native Americans for six years and a half. Apparently, in

Cabeza de Vaca survived because of his success as a healer. “With a knife that I had, I opened his chest to that place…. I inserted the knife point, and with great difficulty, at last I pulled it out.” (Doc. C) “And this cure gave us a very great reputation among them throughout the whole land.” (Doc. C) “Cabeza and his crew members cured those who were sick and (the Spaniards) killed those who were well.” (Doc. D) All of these statements have to do with him being a success as a healer, either what he did to help them or what his effect was on other Native Americans.

As a person of high status, Cardenas was able to lead the Francisco Vásquez de Coronado expedition to New Mexico. According to Prentice Hall Literature, Cardenas was dispatched from Cibola to see a river that a northeastern Native American had described to a captain on the expedition. Around twenty days after Cardenas was dispatched, he reached the Grand Canyon, making him the first European explorer to view the canyon and its river (pg.30). He can even recall the sight, "those... who reached them swore that they were taller than the great tower of Seville"(pg. 38). Unfortunately, it is said  that Cardenas and his me, "did not continue farther up the river of the canyon because of the lack of

Before the 15th century, the Indians in the Americas were not connected with the world and would remain that way until Columbus's exploration. In the beginning of 15th century, the Aztecs were the dominant group in Mesoamerica leaded by Montezuma, the last leader, before the Spanish conquest. In 1519, Hernan Cortez led the Spanish mission to explore and conquer the New World. This paper will compare three primary sources about this event. First, an informing letter sent from Cortez to King Charles V, the king of Spain. Second, the Broken Spears which is an Indian recollection about the conquest of Mexico. Lastly, Bernal Diaz’s (one of Cortez’s men) account was written by him to share his experience with Aztec

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

Coronado went out to find the cities of gold and riches. This made him start an expedition up north to try and find these so called golden cities. Instead of finding the golden cities he found something else. He found small Indian villages. Instead of leaving them be, he had another idea. He decided to force his way into the village taking it over and forcing the Indians to leave. But he also found something else, he found

“Since the survivors were held by different tribes or groups they were often separated. The next year at the time of the gathering of the tribes to eat prickly pears the four (Castillo, Dorantes, Estebanico, and Cabeza de Vaca) made their escape. (sjsu.edu). “During their escape, other tribes that they met along the way aided them and helped them. They escaped at the time when the tribes were going to pick pears, so food was not a problem at this time.” (sjsu.edu). “The Spaniards decided to build rafts and leave Florida by the sea.” (tshaonline.org). “Each raft was loaded with fewer than fifty men, and rose only six inches above the water. They had to sail their rafts as closely to the shore as possible in case something were to happen. They left on September 22, 1528, and all was going well until they crossed what is now the Mississippi River. Thrown off course by the strong winds, the five rafts eventually landed off the coast of Texas. (tshaonline.org). “By the spring of 1529, only thirteen Spaniards and an African slave were still alive, along with Cabeza de Vaca. Some of the men thought that he was dead because he had been gone for so long. Twelve of the fourteen men had headed towards the coast of Mexico.” (tshaonline.org). “They finally landed at a place that they named the Island of Misfortune, somewhere around what is now Galveston, Texas. Cabeza de Vaca and his men lived out on the island with the Karankawa Indians from 1529 to 1534, and were eventually separated due to a state of semi-slavery.”(americanjourneys.org). After Cabeza de Vaca and his men were separated from the Indians, he used his self-teaching skills and taught himself how to become a healer, or a doctor. “He explored all along the coast of East Texas, hoping to find a way into Mexico and explore some Spanish colonies. In 1534, the other survivors, Alfonso de Castillo, Andres Dorantes, and Estevan or Estebanico and

On June 17, 1527, Cabeza de Vaca set sail on the order to conquer and govern the lands from the Rio Grande to the cape of Florida. However, during his journey he encountered much devastation such as the wrecking of his ship which resulted in his separation from the majority of his Christian companions. Praying to God after every ordeal, Cabeza routinely sought after his Christian religion to guide him through his unexpected journey. While traveling through the interior of America, he also encountered many native tribes which inhabited the land. While most of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century spread their religion through warlike ways and rearranged societies

Imagine an explorer that is captured by Indians for two years and then have to example and find a way back to their home, or die. Well this is exactly what Cabeza de Vaca went through in his journey. Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer that landed on modern day Galveston Island, Texas, Cabeza de Vaca was also captured by Indians during his trip. Cabeza de Vaca escaped after two years of being captive. Cabeza de Vaca survived his journey because of his relationship he built with most Indian tribes, his prior knowledge, and his ability to know a lot of languages.

The Indians were not convinced and communicated as much. That Cabeza was from the place where the sun rose, and the Spaniards were from the place where the sun set. How Cabeza had cured the sick, while the Spaniards killed those who were well; how Cabeza had come to them naked and barefoot while these Christians were well-dressed and had horses; and how de Vaca returned everything he was given and shared, while the Spaniards only wanted to steal everything they found and had no intention of giving to anyone else. This little incident was quite meaningful. It showed the Natives regard of Cabeza de Vaca and how they had high esteem of him while they thought the Spaniards were the opposite.

Cabeza de Vaca was lost and alone in the swamp wetlands of the San Antonio Bay. He was naked, his feet were covered in mud, and he was covered in mosquitoes, but he was still able to survive. Cabeza de Vaca was on a expedition with Panfilo de Narvaez along with 300 other men to establish settlements along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The 300 men were ordered to leave the ships by Panfilo de Narvaez on modern-day Tampa Bay, Florida to search for treasure. While they were all looking for their treasure, they didn't know that the would never see their ships again. Now the only thing that mattered was not colonization, it was survival. Cabeza de Vaca survived by healing the native americans, respecting the native americans, and using his wilderness skills to survive.

The Spanish had been expanding their influence in the new world by conquering the empires and peoples. Soon they would extend northward continuing to claim new land thereby building New Spain. Starting in 1540 the Spanish moved into what would become New Mexico. With the Spanish expansion came soldiers, missionaries, and settlers. These movements would lead to a confrontation between the Pueblo people and the Spaniards known as the “Tiguex War.” The "Tiguex War" was spearheaded by occurred during the winter of 1540-41. Leading the Spaniard troops was Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. The Spanish attacked the 12 tribes of the region leading to a further breakdown of Native and Spanish relations that would continue until 1598. Juan De Onate led a force of over 100 soldiers women children and Priests into the Rio Grande Valley attempting to start a Spanish settlement. The establishment of this new settlement soon leads to another revolt between the Pueblo and the Spaniards. This rebellion is known as the "Tacoma Massacre." Under the command of Juan De Onate, the Spanish soldiers killed and enslaved hundreds of Natives. Onate also ordered the right foot to be removed from the 24