Cabeza De Vaca

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is best known as the first Spaniard to explore what we now consider to be southwestern United States. His nine-year odyssey is chronicled within the book The Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition. His account is considered especially interesting because it is one of the very first documents that illustrates interactions between American natives and explorers. However, when examining the exploration of the modern United States, there are many arguments that have to do with the entitlement to the land and the motivations behind settling in the first place. Most explorers were obviously in favor of their own conquests and Cabeza de Vaca is of course no exception. In Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition, Cabeza de Vaca seems to be in favor of this exploration by outwardly expressing superiority and pity towards the Indians while secretly appreciating their accommodating nature throughout the conquest in order to justify his entitlement to their land to the rest of . As him and his Spanish conquistadors make their westward journey on foot they encounter many obstacles among these having to do with natural disasters and the Indians they come across that all prove to be extremely telling of the differences between western cultures and that of the Indians and the historical motivations behind conquest in general. This physical and emotional struggle of accommodation between races

Cabeza de Vaca describes the Indians in such a way that is dehumanizing and condescending. Though he journeys out to claim land that is clearly in possession of the Indians, him and the other Spanish noblemen seek fortune in the southwestern united states or essentially steal the Indians' fortune. The Indians, although they proved to be helpful in some situations, were never held in high regard. Ultimately, in order for explorers to feel reasonable about their conquests, they had to deem the Indians as unworthy of their own land so that stealing from them and requesting their help could be considered less of a burden. He is quick to insult the Indians, however, he also might secretly realize that they have genuine compassion for people when he says, "In truth, to see beings so devoid of reason, uneducated, so brutish, yet so deeply moved by pity for us, increased my feelings and those of others in my company for our own misfortune."(33) By using brutish and devoid of reason, Cabeza de Vaca essentially suggests that the Indians are animalistic and emotionless. However, he then goes on to say how deeply moved they were, which is somewhat ironic. It's almost as if Cabeza de Vaca and his followers know that the Indians aren't truly unworthy creatures but they use what everybody already agrees upon to manipulate their supposed worthiness and justify their claims. He also goes on to explain the warrior-like tendencies of the Indians and how fierce and relentless