Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca.
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490 c. 1559) was an early Spanish explorer of the New World and is remembered as a protoanthropological author.
Cabeza means "head"; de vaca, "of the cow" and this surname was granted to his family in the 13th century, when his ancestor aided a Christian army attacking Moors by pointing out a secret pass through the mountains by leaving the head of a cow there. In the prologue to his great story relating his shipwreck and wanderings in North America, he refers to his forefather's service to the King, and regrets that his own deeds could not be as great, due to forces beyond his control.
As treasurer, and hence one of the chief officers, of the Narváez expedition, he, Moorish former slave Estevanico, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza and Alonso del Castillo Maldonado were the only survivors of the party of 600 men. The four were enslaved by various Native American tribes of the upper Gulf coast (including the Han and......
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Approximate Word Count: 508
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |