La Relación

1. La Relación Álvar Núñez Cabeza De Vaca

2. Early Life • Cabeza de Vaca was born into the Spanish nobility in 1490. • Little of his early life is known, except that he made his career in the military. • In early 1527 he left Spain as a part of a royal expedition intended to occupy the mainland of North America.

3. Lived 1490 to 1557 Spanish explorer in the region of what is now Texas, whose claims regarding legendary cities of gold influenced later exploration efforts by Hernando de Soto and Francisco de Coronado. Álvar Núñez Cabeza De Vaca

4. In 1528, Núñez landed near the site of modern-day Galveston, and spent eight years wandering among Native American tribes, during which time most of his men died. Explorations

5. Route

6. Explorations cont. • When found by fellow Spaniards in northern Mexico in 1536, he was full of wild tales concerning the Seven Cities of Cibola, about which he had heard but which he did not claim to have visited.

7. Appalled by the Spanish treatment of Indians, in 1537 Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain to publish an account of his experiences and to urge a more generous policy upon the crown.

8. Later, as governor of Rio de la Plata in South America (1541-1545), he created a route from Santos, Brazil, to Asunción, Paraguay. Later Life…

9. He was accused of corruption because of his sympathy toward the Native Americans, and was forced to resign. • He returned to Spain and was convicted; a 1552 pardon allowed him to become a judge in Seville, Spain, a position which he occupied until his death in 1556 or 1557.

10. Later Writings • He recorded his North American journeys in Naufragios (1542), and his South American ones in La Relación y Comentarios (1555). • Non-fiction

11. Example of nonfiction La Relación

12. A mission of exploration becomes a test of survival. Núñez’s first encounter with the Karankawas leads to a mutually beneficial relationship between representatives of vastly different cultures. Theme ofLa Relación