The Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca (Dodo Press)

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490/1507-c. 1557/1559) was an early Spanish explorer of the New World and is remembered as a proto-anthropological author. As treasurer, and hence one of the chief officers, of the Narvaez expedition, he and three others were the only survivors of the party of 300 men who landed near Tampa Bay, Florida on April 15, 1528. Over the course of eight years, various members of the expedition succumbed to disease, starvation, exposure, and the attacks of various Native American groups as they slowly made their way west, toward Mexico, where they knew there were other Spaniards. Others among them simply gave up the effort and went native. For a few years, the survivors were enslaved by various Native American tribes of the upper Gulf coast. Only the final four-Cabeza de Vaca, Dorantes, Castillo, and a Moroccan Berber named Esteban (who was later called Estevanico)-ultimately escaped and eventually reached Mexico City. During his wanderings, passing from tribe to tribe, he developed sympathies for the indigenous population. He eventually became a trader, which allowed him freedom to travel among the tribes. He wrote about his experiences in a report for Charles V. It was later published in 1542, under the title La Relacion (The Report), later known as Naufragios, and is considered a classic of colonial literature.