FREE ESSAY ON CABEZA DE VACA

CABEZA DE VACA

Cabeza de Vaca was an explorer who was born in Jerez de la Fronteria into a family that
took the title, Cabeza de Vaca, head of a cow, from his mothers side of the family. In
1212 one of her ancestors- a shepherd named Martin Alhaja- had helped the Spanish
Christians win an important battle against the Moors in by marking a unguarded mountain
pass with a cow's skull. The Christians attacked, scoring a major victory, and Alhaja and
his desendets were honored by the name Cabeza de Vaca. In 1527 he was appointed the
treasure of a royal expedition led by Panfilo de Narvaez of about of about 300 me to
Florida. In April 1528 the expedition sailed into Tampa Bay, he began an over march into
Apalanche Bay, and then attempted to reach Mexico in makeshift boats. Seperated from
Narveaz, Cabeza de Vaca led a small group of survivors of the expeditions Dorantes,
Castillo, and Esteban. The Moor escaped and began a journey which are now Southwestern
United States and Northern Mexico, in 1537 Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain rewarded with
the honor to be governor of Rio de la Plata (now Paraguay). His account of the Naraveaz
expedition Relicon and his tales of Zuni and their villages the legendary Seven cities of
Cibola, encouraged many other expeditions to America including Hernando de Soto and
Franciso Vasquez de Coronado. 
For Historians, Cabeza de Vaca's importance came from his having been the first European
to travel into Southwest and to write reports that spurred explorations of the region.
His reports were about his tribal experiences with the Karankawas, Caddoes, Atakapans,
Jumanoes, and Conchoes, Pincas, Optans, and the loose band of hunters- formally known as
the Coalitecans.