Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490 – c. 1559) was a Spanish explorer of the New World, and one of the survivors of the Narváez expedition, which set out from Spain in 1527 to explore and colonize the Gulf Coast of North America. His account of the expedition's experiences of shipwreck, enslavement, and survival among Native American tribes in the American Southwest and Mexico is considered one of the most important early European accounts of life in North America. The phrase "Cabeza de Vaca" translates to "head of a cow" in Spanish, and in Hebrew it can be translated as ראש פרה. In French, it is tête de vache, and in German, it is Kuhkopf. Cabeza de Vaca's writings provide valuable insights into the indigenous cultures of the region and the harsh realities of early European exploration and colonization.

Wikipedia Information

Spanish explorer of the New World

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer of the New World, and one of four survivors of the 1527 Narváez expedition. During eight years of traveling across what is now the US Southwest, he became a trader, evangelist, and faith healer to various Native American tribes before reconnecting with Spanish civilization in Mexico in 1536. After returning to Spain in 1537, he wrote an account of his experiences, first published in 1542 as La relación y comentarios, and later retitled Naufragios y comentarios. Cabeza de Vaca is sometimes considered a proto-anthropologist for his detailed accounts of the many tribes of Native Americans that he encountered. He has been portrayed as a unique explorer with a focus on expansion and faith conversion.

Last modified: 2025-11-07T02:03:32ZView full article on Wikipedia