Cabeza+De+Vaca.

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 * * Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca * ** [[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ0T3TPzJRlfRSBFP6m7WTXbaSWqyJ3DO6zo_i0qtUjTpAjMihhNQ align="left"]]

0. Introduction.
Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer of the New World and a Conquistador. Cabeza de Vaca explored the Gulf of Mexico.

1. Early life.
We don't know exacly when Cabeza de Vaca was born and he died so it is estimated tha Alvar Nuñez was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain between 1490/1495 and died in Seville, Spain in 1557/1560. He was born in a noble family. His father was a conquistador of the Canary Islands. His mother was Teresa Cabeza de Vaca and Zurita. Cabeza de Vaca is a spanish word that means "Head of Cow". In the 13th Century, his mother's family received this surname when his ancestor, Martín Alhaja, aided a Christian army attacking Moors by leaving ﻿ a cow's head pointing out a secret mountain pass for their use.

** 2.1.Introduction to the Narváez exploration. **
In 1527, Cabeza de Vaca Made a journey to North America to occupy some lands. As a treasurer, we has one of the chiefs of the Narváez Expedition. After several moths they landed in Tampa Bay (current Florida)on the 15th of april of 1528, he and other three men were the last survivors of the Narváez Expedition and when the started the Journey, they were 600 men.

** ﻿2.2. The first weeks. **
Cabeza de Vaca and the other officers knew about an exciting rumor about gold in Florida. This rumor overuled them and they started to explor the peninsula, looking for the gold.

** 2.3 After a few months. **

 * ** After some months fighting against the natives inhabitants, they finally reached Apalachee Bay with 242 survivors. They believed that they where other Spanish explorers in Mexico, but there were 1500 miles of coast between them, so they started to think how to get there, meanwhile they became sick and died. They survived eating their horses, and they melted the horseshoes and other metal items and created structures to make fire and cook the food, and they also created primitive boats to use in the search of Mexico.

After a huricane, they shipwrecked near Galvestone Island. The explorers called the island Malhado, or Island of Doom. They repared their boats with some clothes and resources of the island. Only 40 men, including Cabeza de Vaca, survived the huricane.

** 2.4. Few years later **
After few years later they were enslaved by native American tribes of the Upper Gulf Coast. Only four men, Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, and an enslaved Moroccan Berber named Esteban survived and escaped to reach Mexico City.

Travelling in this small group, Cabeza de Vaca explored what is the current U.S, State of Texas, as well as the Northeastern Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and Coahuila, and possibly smaller portions of New Mexico and Arizona. During this time he lived in very bad conditions, and, from time to time, they were sacrificing their clothes reparing thei boats. He also was developing sympathies with the Native Tribes,and later, he became a trader, which allowed him freedom to travel through the Native Tribes. The natives called him "Children of the sun". Many natives accompained them acrooss American Southwest and Northern Mexico.

Some years later

Finally he reached the colonized lands of Spain, and he returned to Europe in 1537.

** 3.Return to Spain **
After his return to Spain, Cabeza de Vaca wrote about his experience in America in a report for king Carlos I. It was publised in 1542 under the name of //"La Relación"// (The Report), later called //"Naufragios"// (Shipwrecks). Cabeza de Vaca wanted to return to Florida so he formed part of an expedition.

4.Return to America
In 1540, he was appointed //Adelantado// of the //Rio de la Plata// in South America. His mission was to re-establish the settlement of Buenos Aires. He arrived at Santa Catarina Island. His fleet was composed of 250 musketeers and 26 horses. Cabeza de Vaca was benevolent with the natives but the rest of the fleet didn't like them, so they said that to the governor Domingo Martínez de Irala and they arrested him for poor administration in 1544 and returned to Spain in the year 1545

** 5.The last days of Cabeza de Vaca **
Cabeza de Vaca wrote some reports of tha natives and he wrote several critics about governos Domingo Martínez de Irala. He published this reports under the name of //"Comentarios"// (Commentary). He died poor in Seville around the year 1558.