Castaway: The Narrative of Alvar Núñez Cageza de Vaca

Book Description

This enthralling story of survival is the first major narrative of the exploration of North America by Europeans (1528-36). The author of Castaways (Naufragios), Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, was a fortune-seeking nobleman and the treasurer of an expedition to claim for Spain a vast area that includes today's Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. A shipwreck forced him and a handful of men to make the long westward journey on foot to meet up with Hernán Cortés.
In order to survive, Cabeza de Vaca joined native peoples along the way, learning their languages and practices and serving them as a slave and later as a physician. When after eight years he finally reached the West, he was not recognized by his compatriots.
In his writing Cabeza de Vaca displays great interest in the cultures of the native peoples he encountered on his odyssey. As he forged intimate bonds with some of them, sharing their brutal living conditions and curing their sick, he found himself on a voyage of self-discovery that was to make his reunion with his fellow Spaniards less joyful than expected.
Cabeza de Vaca's gripping narrative is a trove of ethnographic information, with descriptions and interpretations of native cultures that make it a powerful precursor to modern anthropology. Frances M. López-Morillas's translation beautifully captures the sixteenth-century original. Based as it is on Enrique Pupo-Walker's definitive critical edition, it promises to become the authoritative English translation.

Customer Reviews:

And the Spaniards also suffer.......2007-04-03

I have learned to dispise the Spanish colonizers for their actions in the New World. I have read enough of their sharpening their swords and practicing on the Native Americans and slaying the men, women and children of native settlements if they didn't convert to Christianity or produce enough gold. So this is a new perspective, that of the Spanish failing and suffering through unimaginable hardship and all along the coast that is now our destination of choice for retirement.

This is a nearly fantastic book, only nearly so because it is true (unless De Vaca embelished his story). If you are intrigued with pre-settlement America and the cultures of Native Americans you will appreciate this read in addition to the survival story. This is a look at Florida and Texas in a different era. This is a story about the ambitions of Spain and the privations men could endure for their religion and their country. Even the style of the writing adds to the true insight into the time and perspective on their outlook on the new world. The chapter titles such as "Of What Befell Lope de Oviedo with Some Indians" and "How We Departed After Eating the Dogs" give you the idea of how the book is structured in addition to how they suffered.

In many historical accounts the Spanish are said to have believed that the New World was the dominion of the devil and all its' people,lands, forests and creatures were works of the devil. It is in accounts like this that you can start to understand their reasoning and belief.

An extraordinary man -- an extraordinary story!.......2006-09-11

Cabeza de Vaca's first hand narrative of his experiences in the New World is one of the most gripping true life adventure stories that you can find.

The story is almost five hundred years old. It begins with his selection as treasurer for a Spanish invasion force of six hundred that was intended to conquer Florida (then thought to be an island), sieze the natives' gold and add their bodies to the Spanish crown while their souls would be dedicated the the Christian God.

Everything went wrong. A hurricane hit. The expeditionary force was separated from their ships and ended up marooned on the Florida Gulf Coast, surrounded by hostile, deadly Indians. Eventually, the survivors slaughtered their horses for food, then melted down their armor to make nails and built boats in the hope of finding their way to Mexico.

Many more men were lost before they made their way to what is now known as Galveston. The survivors experienced starvation, the cowardice of their leader, slavery and even cannibalism. Out of six hundred conquistadores, only four men survived.

Those four men walked across the rest of Texas, wandering almost aimlessly in a search for the Spanish colony of Mexico. By the time they finally arrived in Mexico, after years of privation, they were no longer the same self-sure conquerors who had sailed from Spain. They had developed a following of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Indians who hailed them as "Children of the Sun". Cabeza de Vaca, who had emerged as their leader, fit the description of an Old Testament prophet. His hair had not seen a comb or scissors for several years, while his feet had not seen shoes for almost as long.

Here's an extended quote from Chapter 19:

"A few days after these four Spaniards had departed there came a time of cold and storms so severe that ... five Christians who were encamped on the beach came to such straits that they ate one another until only one was left, who survived because there was no one left to eat him.... The Indians were so indignant about this, and there was so much outrage among them, that undoubtedly if they had seen this when it began to happen they would have killed the men, and all of us would have been in dire peril: in a word, within a very short time only fifteen of the eighty men from both parties who had reached the island were left alive; and after the death of these men, a stomach ailment afflicted the Indians of the land from which half of them died, and they believed it was we who were killing them; and as they were wholly convinced of this, they agreed among themselves to kill those of us who were left."

How's that for action? It's true that the narrative style itself is archaic and stilted at times. But this translation emphasizes simple modern English and cuts through a lot of the difficulty of reading a story that's half a millenium old.

I've read the story of Cabeza de Vaca two or three times over the years. In it, I see an almost mirror image many of the other explorers like De Soto or Cortez: a man who learned to view the New World in a different way, and who became a different man by the experience. His story has action, sure: hurricanes, starvation, slavery, faith healing, a stupid, greedy leader, and a cast of thousands. But at the heart of this journey is the journey of one man's heart.

Absolutely basic to anyone living in Texas and the Southwest.......1999-07-11

To read so much live detail about the way of life of the original inhabitants of parts of Texas and the Southwest is to have one's very conceptions about these places changed. It's an amazing, short read and the editor helps with notes in critical places. I think this is basic reading for anyone even part-way interested in the history of Texas and neighboring states. Cabeza de Vaca's account covers hair-raising events which occurred in the 1530s right here on Galveston Island, so it gives a longer sense of post-Columbian history than one usually gets as a lay reader of Texas and Southwest history. I too don't know why more folks aren't talking about this book. I'm buying copies to give away.

Tale by de Vaca himself of his trials in America.......1998-12-12

Hard to follow at times, you get confused as to how many people are actually following him! It is sometimes slow reading. Yet, the informantion in the book is good.

Conquistador in Chains: Cabeza de Vaca and the Indians of the Americas

Average customer rating:

Excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Excellent Book!

Conquistador in Chains: Cabeza de Vaca and the Indians of the Americas
David A. Howard
Manufacturer: University Alabama Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Brutal Journey: Cabeza de Vaca and the Epic First Crossing of North America

ASIN: 0817308288

Customer Reviews:

Excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!.......2005-12-23

I had to read this book for my Latin American History course that I took with Dr. David A. Howard himself. I was a little nervous at first, because I knew I would have to write a book review on it for class, and I didn't want to have to write that I didn't like it. I loved the book! It is an excellent read both academically and for personal enjoyment. I will definitely keep it in my library to go back and enjoy in the future.

Excellent Book!.......2000-12-07

David A. Howard has written an excellent book for both academic purposes and casual reading. This insightful and provocative look at the life and times of Cabeza De Vaca should supplement any course that strives to thoroughly explore Latin American history. I highly recommend this text for not only people who are searching for historical truths but also for those interested in reading a genuinely captivating chronicle.

Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America (Zia Book)

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An amazing journey through history and faith!
Harrowing tale of Survival in pre-conquest North America
A book of unparralled value.
Naked faith
Why isn't Cabeza de Vaca better-known among Christians?

Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America (Zia Book)
Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 082630656X

Book Description

Cabeza de Vaca came to the New world in 1527 as part of a Spanish expedition to conquer the region north of the Gulf of Mexico. His exploration party lost contact with their ships, set out northward on foot, and traveled, their numbers soon reduced from 300 to 4, across Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico for the next eight years. In addition to being one of the great true adventure stories of all time, Cabeza de Vaca's account of their travels is an unparalleled source of firsthand information on the pre-European Southwest--the variety of its climate, its flora and fauna, the customs of its natives. They were the first to see the opossum and the buffalo, the Mississippi and the Pecos, pine-nut mash and mesquite-bean flour. This book contains the first description in literature of a West Indies Hurricane.

"Cabeza de Vaca was not only a physical trailblazer: he was also a literary pioneer, and he deserves the distinction of being called the Southwest's first writer.... The RelaciÃ³n, while not fiction, possesses most of the attributes of a good novel."--William T. Pilkington

Alvar Nï¿½ï¿½ez Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to cross the North American continent. This remarkable book is his odyssey, first written in 1542 as an official report to the king of Spain under the title La RelaciÃ³n.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing journey through history and faith!.......2007-06-17

My son and I heard this book on tape nine years ago, and frequently refer to it to this day. We were delighted to find it in print form. An amazing, true and vulnerable account of a man who stumbled into his destiny simply by doing the right thing a step at a time. Some incredible history. De Vaca was [...] when Columbus returned home in chains . . .

Harrowing tale of Survival in pre-conquest North America.......2006-09-18

For many, if not most Americans, early history of the Americas goes something like this - Columbus to the Pilgrims to the American Revolution, end of story. Unfortunately, this abbreviated tale not only leaves many gaps in knowledge, but bypasses some truly amazing stories. `Cabeza De Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America' is one of the best examples of the incredible tales that are often overlooked from the early history of European exploration and conquest of the Americas.

This is a first hand account from a survivor of an ill-fated attempt of a Spanish conquistador to conquer and colonize Florida and the Gulf Coast of North America. Of over four hundred proud men who landed with high hopes of vast wealth in gold, only four survived, after an eight year struggle, making their way across the North American continent from Florida back into Spanish controlled Mexico. The author of the book emerged naked from the wilderness, with nothing of value to show for his harrowing eight year experience except his story, which he wrote hoping to gain favor from his king.

The tale of the author's eight year struggle is simply incredible, and for most modern readers, sometimes unbelievable. He relates the missteps and misadventures that reduced him and his companions from proud conquistadors to weak, naked men, sometimes only surviving as slaves of native tribes. His writing gives a unique snapshot of Native life in that region before its conquest by Europeans, and covers a wide variety of tribes and cultures, both those who were hostile and helpful to him. In the second half of his narrative, he relates events that are nearly impossible for most modern minds to credit, as he tells of how he gained status with the natives by becoming a faith healer, and even of raising a man from the dead. Regardless of whether or not you credit his stories of becoming a faith healing messiah followed by hundreds of adoring natives as historical, it certainly makes for an amazing and lively tale.

While the story itself certainly merits five stars, the writing does not rise to the same level. Cabeza De Vaca was not primarily a writer, and was not writing for a broad audience, but only to impress his king in hopes that he would be rewarded for his service. He leaves out details, background, and scrambles chronology, which may make it necessary to reread certain passages to make sure you get the gist of what he is writing. Of course, as he wrote in Spanish, there is the factor of what is lost in translation as well. Still, this slim volume is packed with fascinating information and incredible tales of survival, and I highly recommend that you discover it for yourself - four stars.

Theo Logos

A book of unparralled value........2005-06-08

Why read a 'history' fantasy when you can read one man's true adventure? "Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America" is a real source document. Rolling through the pages one can sense the genuine experience of a man alone in the 'New World', and understand the very real challenges. Through Cabeza de Vaca's eyes one can get a fresh look at the Native American cultures that existed before Europeans took over.

History really happened, it is not the musings of men (or women) who were not there. History is the actual experience of the participants. This book is alive with the living experience of a key player in the exploration of the American continent by Europeans.

And, there is a bonus. The book reveals the character of a man, and the impact of real events on that character . Cabeza de Vaca grows and changes in the pages. With all of the paper wasted in the publishing business, and all of the speculations of historians staining perfectly good paper, it is a joy to behold the real thing.

Naked faith.......2004-02-24

I concur with all those who have praised this book, particularly the reviewer who suggested that it offered a great deal to confound many Christians who are hard-headedly (as well as hard-heartedly) devoted to the pet doctrines of their particular faction. But, of course, non-Christians will likely find de Vaca's account even more provocative. This is one of the more politically incorrect but utterly worthwhile books I have ever read. Along with an unforgettable tale of survival, there's faith healing, a resurrection, and even an account of a native tribe that practices homosexual marriage. Perhaps foremost among those who were most astonished by the miracles he wrought was de Vaca himself. But for the fact that he survived to tell it, de Vaca's story is so extraordinary most would find it impossible to believe.

Why isn't Cabeza de Vaca better-known among Christians?.......2002-11-09

I asked myself that question after I finished re-reading this book recently. Part of the answer may be that it has something to embarass Christians of every stripe.

For Catholics, we have a group of laymen doing miracle healings through prayer, and more to the point, they did so even though they had no contact with a priest for 6+ years.

For Protestants who believe that signs and wonders ceased with the Apostles, the miracle healings are again an embarassment. For Pentacostals, we have them being done by Catholics, at a time (circa 1530) when Catholicism was probably at its absolute rottenest.

And most disturbingly, for those who assure others that God will bail us out materially when we enter into hard times, we have the spectacle of a distinguised nobleman soldier who ends up becoming the naked slave of the poorest Indians on the Texas coast, from whom he escapes only by undertaking a journey on which he is constantly on the verge of dying from cold, starvation, and thirst.

As a Protestant missionary, this last aspect is the most instructive. As much as we like to tell people that God will indeed bail them out, we have to remember that we are indeed His creatures, and that His kingdom may well be advanced best by stripping us of all we have and sending us naked into the brush for 6 years to do His work. Personally, I find that reality much more believable than the claim that God wants us all to be materially prosperous.

I might also note that those who believe that America was a paradise bbefore the White Man will get a real jolt from Cabeza de Vaca's description of warfare, slavery, and infanticide among Indians.

Book Description

This edition of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca’s Relación offers readers Rolena Adorno and Patrick Charles Pautz's celebrated translation of Cabeza de Vaca’s account of the 1527 PÁnfilo de NarvÁez expedition to North America. The dramatic narrative tells the story of some of the first Europeans and the first-known African to encounter the North American wilderness and its Native inhabitants. It is a fascinating tale of survival against the highest odds, and it highlights Native Americans and their interactions with the newcomers in a manner seldom seen in writings of the period.

In this English-language edition, reproduced from their award-winning three-volume set, Adorno and Pautz supplement the engrossing account with a general introduction that orients the reader to Cabeza de Vaca’s world. They also provide explanatory notes, which resolve many of the narrative’s most perplexing questions. This highly readable translation fires the imagination and illuminates the enduring appeal of Cabeza de Vaca’s experience for a modern audience.

Customer Reviews:

Straight from the horse's moth.......2007-01-31

You can take it from the head of the cow: America is a lot different than the Europhile blowhards from the International School say. This epic journey of a quasi- transcontinental romp is not for the faint-hearted or loose-boweled....this is some scary stuff. Few books are a exhilirating as this one. Pitch your tent and start reading!

Better than Fiction.......2006-12-17

I bought this after reading a little about Cabeza de Vaca in another book (Richard Grant's American Nomads--check it out). It was worth reading if you have an interest in these kinds of things: whether its history, exploration, and discovery that interest you, or wandering, roughing it, and exciting stories of survival.

I haven't looked at any other versions of this book, so I don't have anything to compare it to. That being said, this version did have a lot of background, in the forms of introductory material as well as footnotes. These were both helpful and cumbersome. A lot of the footnotes were essentially useless for my purpose in reading the book. I just wanted the story-- I didn't really care about the exact locations and time frames, which is what a lot of the footnotes were about. But I'm sure that if you were doing something more scholarly with the book, the footnotes would be invaluable.

One of it's most interesting features to me was Cabeza de Vaca's thinking. By today's standards, he's still a racist, but for his time, he's outrageously sympathetic to the Indians and their ways of life. He tries to see the reasons behind actions that his civilized contemporaries would instantly dismiss as savage.

It's a great story. A Spanish exploration goes bad, and the few survivors fight against the odds and eventually make it out alive after walking across North America. It's a true story that would put the best Hollywood screenwriter to shame. But like a lot of firsthand accounts from that time period, it can be kind of dense. I got used to that, but it did take a little time. On the plus side, the story doesn't really take off until a little ways into the book, so you can use the first part to get used to the writing style.

Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition (Penguin Classics)

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Impressive story about exploration and survival
fascinating and frustrating by degrees

Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition (Penguin Classics)
Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142437077
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Book Description

This riveting true story is the first major narrative detailing the exploration of North America by Spanish conquistadors (1528-1536). The author, Alvar Nú&ntildeez Cabeza de Vaca, was a fortune-seeking Spanish nobleman and the treasurer of an expedition sent to claim for Spain a vast area of today's southern United States. In simple, straightforward prose, Cabeza de Vaca chronicles the nine-year odyssey endured by the men after a shipwreck forced them to make a westward journey on foot from present-day Florida through Louisiana and Texas into California. In thirty-eight brief chapters, Cabeza de Vaca describes the scores of natural and human obstacles they encountered as they made their way across an unknown land. Cabeza de Vaca's gripping account offers a trove of ethnographic information, including descriptions and interpretations of native cultures, making it a powerful precursor to modern anthropology.

With an introduction by Ilan Stavans.

Customer Reviews:

Impressive story about exploration and survival.......2007-06-29

I didn't know anything about this real story until I watched BBC Conquistadors. When I learned about Cabeza de Vaca, I was eager to read the account of his years lost, wandering in the south part of North America for 9 long years until he found some "Christians" in the northwest part of Mexico. Although the book is short and simple, the information provided is invaluable, especially with the descriptions of the Indians in this region, its customs and way of living.
One thing that called my attention was all the hardships he had to endure during his long journey, going naked and feeding mostly of fruits and roots, proving in this case that he was a survivor by nature since others were not that lucky in the same precarious environment. And yes, what a strange name.

fascinating and frustrating by degrees.......2004-04-28

I was intrigued by this strange chronicle when i lifted it from the dusty shelf of my local bookstore. I had never heard of it and I was surprised that such a thing even existed. A first-hand account of a 16th century conquistador expedition to the new lands of the Americas no less!

The book is short enough to hold the attention and the fact that it is a true tale holds the attention through periods of drab text and detailed descriptions of the lay of the land. In fact, two distinct points capture the attention, firstly the matter-of-fact way in which cabeza de vaca views the monstrosities he is faced with, from shipwreck to torture and hunger. Secondly, the altogether human way in which the natives are protrayed; they are not seen as unthinking savages but as children, scared and uncertain, that need to be cared for. This is certainly not the tale of a gross escapade to conquer primitive peoples, rather it is an 'expedition' in every respect and it is fascinating as a result.

At times it is a chore to plough through, but i believe the overall and lasting impression that the book leaves is a sufficient reward for the time spent on it.

Book Description

Of the 300 Spanish explorers who set out to discover North America, only four returned. Cabeza de Vaca's account of the 1528-1536 expedition crackles with excitement, relating the survivors' journey across treacherous territory, rhapsodizing over the beauty of the American wilderness, and offering information on American Indian life before European influence.

Customer Reviews:

First Hand Accounts are the most Fascinating.......2007-05-07

This report of the 1528 to 1536 "journey" of Cabeza de Vaca is in his own words and that is really what makes this book so interesting, even to this day. The expedition was doomed by greed and stupid decisions from the start and then we follow the story of de Vaca as he survives for 8 years without even the clothes on his back as he travels 6000 miles through unknown geography before returning to "civilization". And although this story itself is interesting enough, it is to my mind most fascinating because it is a first hand account from that time. You can read about his changing attitudes towards the "Indians" who help him survive, yet enslave him. Ironically there is a slave among his small band of survivors. His attitude towards the Indians changes with time and when he is found by a group of Spanish Conquistadors he is digusted by how these treat the Indians that helped him. Yet de Vaca never seems to really consider that these savages are really as human as "Christians". He's constantly referring to himself and other members of his group as "Christians" although religious distinctions are hardly what he's referring to by this.

It is not just an interesting adventure story, it is also a look inside the mind of that age - something to make you wonder how 500 years from now others will read our memoirs and marvel at our superstitions and misinformed judgements.

The translation is easy to read and contains enough parenthetical additions that allow you to easily follow the journey on the modern map that is included.

Enjoy a "real" story for a change.

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Naufragios (Letras Hispanicas)
Cabeza Nunez
Manufacturer: Ediciones Catedra S.A.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8437608511

We Asked for Nothing: The Remarkable Journey of Cabeza de Vaca (Great Explorers)

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We Asked for Nothing: The Remarkable Journey of Cabeza de Vaca (Great Explorers)
Stuart Waldman
Manufacturer: Mikaya Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931414076

Book Description

The explorer who discovered his own humanity.

In 1528, the conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca escaped a hostile reception in Florida only to be shipwrecked off the coast of Texas. For the next eight years, he lived among the native tribes of the Southwest while he journeyed towards the safety of the Spanish settlements in Mexico. He and three companions survived starvation, sickness and slavery thanks to the generosity of native peoples along the way.

When Cabeza de Vaca finally reached the Spanish, he was a changed man and led the struggle against the feudal-like exploitation of the New World populations. Stuart Waldman tells the fascinating story of two journeys: one covering 2,500 miles through unexplored territory, the other the transformation of a man's heart.

Excerpts from Cabeza de Vaca's journals make the reader's immersion into this mystifying world complete. The gatefold map allows the reader to follow the journey while reading.

Estevanico, Black Explorer in Spanish Texas

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Estevanico, Black Explorer in Spanish Texas
Carolyn Arrington
Manufacturer: Eakin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0890155410

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Naufragios (Viajes)
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Manufacturer: Linkgua US
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Autobiografía de un esclavo

ASIN: 8496290867

Book Description

Cabeza de Vaca y sus hombres entraron en contacto con unos indios de la Florida que les hicieron creer que había oro muy cerca. Caminaron durante dos semanas en dirección al noroeste hasta encontrar el primer poblado indígena. Sus impresiones serían después reveladas en sus obras. Tras una tentativa de volver, Alvar Núñez y su grupo continuaron rumbo a los Apalaches, sufrieron el cansancio y los ataques indígenas y encontraron mucho oro. El grupo se dirigió entonces de regreso a la costa y en el trayecto fueron atacados varias veces. Alvar Núñez nunca más vio a su capitán Pánfilo de Narváez, quien se negó a lanzarle una cuerda para rescatar su barco. La barca de Narváez fue arrojada mar adentro por un viento muy fuerte y desapareció. Cabeza de Vaca consiguió llegar a una isla donde encontraron indios muy amistosos. Allí pudo aprender mucho sobre las costumbres indígenas y sus curas mediante poderes mágicos.

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