LA RELACION
By Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
THE AUTHOR
1490 - 1557
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer. He was born
around 1490 into the Spanish nobility. He was one of the four
survivors of the1527 Narváez expedition. Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de
Vaca sailed to North America from Spain, leaving in 1527. He
traveled from Florida to Texas on a raft, then walked from Texas to
Mexico City. He also explored the Paraguay River in South America.
De Vaca and his fellow travelers were the first Europeans to see the
bison. He became a trader and faith healer to various Native
American tribes before reconnecting with Spanish colonial forces in
Mexico in 1536. After returning to Spain in 1537, he wrote La
Relacion and it was published in 1542.
http://youtu.be/stkeVcrt4nE
HISTORY OF THIS TIME PERIOD
1434 Portuguese sailors first traveled down the west coast of Africa
below and returned. This opened up the way for direct trade with
Africa for gold and slaves.
During the next half century they colonized the islands of the
northwest coast of Africa and began planting sugar using slaves.
They established the connection between sugar and slavery that
would fuel the colonization of the new world.
1490 de Vaca was born
1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue to the new world. He crossed
Atlantic to Bahamas and Hispaniola.
1494 Spain and Portugal agreed on division of the new world
HISTORY OF THIS TIME PERIOD
1502 African slaves first imported to he new world
1513 Juan ponce de Leon explores Florida for Spain
1519 Cortez lands on Mexicano and invades Aztec empire.
1527 Navaez expedition
1533 Henry VIII begins English reformation
1537 de Vaca returned to Spain
1542 la relacion was published
SUMMARY OF LA RELACION
• After four days at sea, Cabeza de Vaca’s ship is caught in a storm. Many of
his men died. After the ships runs aground on an island, the men encounter
Native Americans and are afraid they’ll be taken captive or used as
sacrifice. Turns out the native americans were nice and brought them food.
The explorers continue on their quest and set sail. Unfortenently they
become shipwrecked again. Only 16 out of all the men survive, and they
become captured by the Native Americans once again, but this time they
were forced to become healers. they were taught many different and what
seemed to them unhelpful ways to “heal” the indians, but they abided to
the rules. As a token of grattitude the explorers were given homes, food, and
skins.
QUOTATION 1
• "We gave them beads and bells,
and each one of them gave us
arrow in pledge of friendship."
• This shows how the native Indians
and the spaniards exchanged
friendship during the time period
when de Vaca and his men were
on the land. The Spaniords
believed that the native Indians
would value the beads and bells
very much. While the natives gave
them arrows to pledge their
friendship. This also shows that they
have different ideas of exchanging
friendship.
QUOTATION 2
"Stone and other things growing
about in the fields, he said, had a
virtue whereby passing a pebble
along the stomach could take away
pain and heal; surely extraordinary
men like us embodied such powers
over nature."
• This quotation explains what the
spaniards and the natives believed
to be a cure during that time
period. It shows how they "healed"
the native Americans.
QUOTATION 3
• "Thus we made their village, where
we saw they had erected a hut for
us with many fires inside. An hour
later they began a dance
celebration that lasted all night."
• This quotation shows the native
Indians accepted de Vaca and his
men into their tribe. It also showed
the acts of friendship and love. It
reflects the cultural practices of the
native Indians when de Vaca and
his men were brought into their
traditions of celebration.
QUOTATION 4
• "When the cries died down, I
conferred with the Christians about
asking the Indians to take us to their
homes. Some of our number who
had been to New Spain warned
that the Indians would sacrifice us
to their idols."
• In this quotation, it shows that de
Vaca's men thought they were
going to be captured and sent to
the Indian's idols. In the bottom of
the text book, it described the
conquistadors who had been to
Mexico, had encountered Aztecs
who practiced human sacrifice.
With this past experience of getting
"sacrificed", it marked a cultural
belief and perspective of danger
for the Spaniards.
QUOTATION 5
• "They told us by signs that they
would return at sunrise and bring
food, having none then."
• This quote shows that the native
Indians were very caresmatic. They
despicted the fact that de Vaca
and his men were foreigners and
provided them with food. He native
Indians were very generous and
somewhat trusted de Vaca and his
men.
BIBLIORGRAPHY
•"Cabeza De Vaca, Alvar Núñez (1492?-1559?)." American Eras. 1997, "Álvar
Núñez Cabeza De Vaca." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, "Cabeza
De Vaca, Álvar Núñez." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2015, "Cabeza
De Vaca, Álvar Núñez." World Encyclopedia. 2005, and "Núñez Cabeza De
Vaca, Álvar." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2015. "Cabeza De Vaca,
Alvar Núñez (1492?-1559?)." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan.
1997. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
• Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
• "What We Know and Do Not Know about Our Polarized Politics." Political
Polarization in American Politics (2015): n. pag. Web.
• "Álvar Núñez Cabeza De Vaca." Álvar Núñez Cabeza De Vaca. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Sept. 2015.