Preview

La Relacion Cabeza De Vaca Summary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
707 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
La Relacion Cabeza De Vaca Summary
Cabeza de Vaca journeyed far into the Americas with disasters striking left and right. He wrote La Relacion to tell the king of Spain of the land and peoples there.He told of the suffering he and his men endured, and included helpful and factual information about the Americas. This primary source was invaluable to the king for the reason it told him what the Native Americans were like, what the living conditions were like, and what the climate was like. The king wanted to control the land and discover gold, so it was essential to know what the Native Americans were like. What Cabeza de Vaca found out was that the Native Americans were charitable, such as when, “As the sun rose next morning, the Indians appeared as they promised, bringing an abundance of fish and certain roots… mostly grubbed from water with great labor.” That would allow the king to assume that these are kind people and the Spaniards could rely on them if needed. Also, it could be assumed that the natives could be easily manipulated if they needed any supplies while in that foreign country.In fact the Native Americans were so kind that, “The Indians, when hearing our plight, sat down and lamented for half an hour…” The natives, the king could assume, would assist them with anything. If anything happened to the …show more content…
Cabeza de Vaca traveled to uncharted land, with an unfamiliar climate, was struck with surprise. When they were travelling, “it was winter and bitterly cold, and we suffered hunger and the heavy beatings of waves for many days.” The Spaniards discovered while traveling that winter was frigid and stormy. The king would be able to plan when to send more men over so that they wouldn’t be traveling during storms using that information. Also, it would let the king decide if it's worth risking men to travel to the new land. The climate is important for the king to know because he wanted to control the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis of Cabeza de Vaca written by Alvar Nunez (focusing on ethos, pathos, and logos in chapter 34 of the book)
    • 1335 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis of Cabeza de Vaca written by Alvar Nunez (focusing on ethos, pathos, and logos in chapter 34 of the book)

    In Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion, Cabeza de Vaca writes an account of his disastrous expedition to the New World, as well as providing a legal document in which the rhetoric of his narrative transforms his story of failure into a story of success. In chapter thirty-four, Cabeza de Vaca uses the three elements of rhetoric; ethos, logos, and pathos, to express that Spanish law is unsuitable for the circumstances encountered in the New World.…

    • 1335 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cabeza De Vaca Dbq
    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cabeza De Vaca Dbq

    He learned four languages, plus sign langauge. This allowed him to communicate with many tribes along his journey down to Mexico City (Doc. B). By having these communication skills, he managed to gain the trust of Native American tribes along the way and gather many key details from the tribes who know the area he was in. Without communication, he wouldn’t have been able to find water, he wouldn’t have able to tell if he was going to meet any unfriendly Indians, and he wouldn’t know what was safe to eat and what was.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Did Spanish Commit Terrible Acts Against Natives
    • 101 Words
    • 1 Page

    How Did Spanish Commit Terrible Acts Against Natives

    The invading Spanish were able to commit terrible acts against the natives because they were very different than them. The natives worshiped different gods, they wore different garb, and they spoke a different language. It was these differences that helped the Spanish justify their violence. Because these people did not conduct themselves like the Spanish did, they did not consider them their equals. When the invaders were committing acts of savagery, they did not believe they were harming human beings. They thought they were harming savages. With this mindset, the Spanish had absolutely no qualms about the crimes the natives…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Bartolome De Las Casas
    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did Bartolome De Las Casas

    Though he may have traveled on the same ship, ate beside, socialized with, and had the same greedy goal as the most inhuman and evil conquistadors, he opened his eyes and recognized the Americans as people, while some of his fellow Spaniards saw them as nothing more than livestock. He risked being labelled as a tyrant to help the people that he believed needed it. For these reasons, Bartolome de las Casas was called, “Defender of the Indians,” and should be recognized in history as a monumental positive influence on the Native Americans’…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Poop
    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Poop

    4. Why did the Indian tribes ask Cabeza de Vaca to trade and barter for them? __…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hist 17A Class Discussions
    • 1937 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Hist 17A Class Discussions

    A1: Both Columbus’ “Columbus Describes His First Encounter with “Indians”” and Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s “A Conquistador Arrives in Mexico” were thought-provoking reads. What I learned was that Bernal Diaz del Castillo (Spanish Conquistador under Hernan Cortes) and Christopher Columbus (Italian Explorer under Spanish King Ferdinand II) had very different viewpoints of the Native Americans. Christopher Columbus’ main goal was to lead the Spanish Crown to the East via a quick route, but when he found the Caribbean, he wanted to find riches for Spain & spread Christianity, while Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s main goal was to claim lands for Spain under Cortes. Columbus saw the Native Americans culture as “they brought us parrots and cotton in thread balls and javelins and many other things, and they traded them to us…a people very poor in everything. All of them go around naked as their mothers bore them…..They have no iron… (20). ” On the other hand, Bernal Diaz del Castillo saw Native Americans’ culture as, “… it was all so wonderful that I do not know how to describe this first glimpse of things never heard of, seen or dreamed of before …(24).” Christopher Columbus, being Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s predecessor, laid the foundation of Spain’s dominance in the Americas.…

    • 1937 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    DBQ: The Contributions Of The Age Of Exploration
    • 2349 Words
    • 10 Pages

    DBQ: The Contributions Of The Age Of Exploration

    The Spanish benefited from all this, as they were able to capitalize on the workforce and land the conquering of the Aztecs provided. Additionally, because they capitalized on the land, resources, and natives, the Spanish gained power in all facets of a civilization, reaping an exponential positive gain from the New World. Another document that could be needed to show all facets of the cultural and political shifts of the New World, is an Aztec or other tribes King’s response to Spanish intrusion, and whether or not they approved and welcomed the changes. Due to Spanish intervention, the New Worlds political, economical, social, and cultural aspects all shifted and changed, damaging the natives heritage and wellbeing, but improving the amount of land, resources, and workforce that was available to the Europeans, benefiting…

    • 2349 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    From 1492 To 1750 In The
    • 839 Words
    • 3 Pages

    From 1492 To 1750 In The

    In the Americas there was a dramatic political change of power going from the natives in America to the Europeans. Document two suggests that when the Europeans came in, they destroyed the cities that the natives of America had already built and established. Hernan Cortés, in his letter to King Charles V, says “this great city Tenochtitlán is built on the salt lake…”, “The city is a large as Seville or Cordoba. “, “there are bridges, very large, strong, and well constructed…”, “The city has many squares where markets are held…”, suggesting that the cities that the natives had already built were like the Spanish’s, before they took over and destroyed them. As a European conqueror Cortes would have seen the strength of the cities and would have seen how they functioned. In his letter he was contradicting himself because while he says “their fashion of living was almost the same in Spain, with just as much harmony and order…” he follows his statement with “…considering these people were barbarous…”, saying that although they lived almost as amazing as the Spanish, he still considered them of less worth than the Europeans. Natives were also put to work as slaves as stated in a letter from King Alfonso of Kongo to King João III of Portugal. He states that “…many times noblemen and the sons of noblemen, and our relatives were stole, and they take them to be sold to the white men who are in our kingdoms…”, stating that the African natives were taken from Kongo and used for the Europeans as slaves. Many people that were taken from Kongo were “…immediately ironed and…

    • 839 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alvar De Vaca Analysis
    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alvar De Vaca Analysis

    Spanish explorers referred ironically to their early discoveries as The New World. The America’s, however, were inhabited by people with an extensive history, a wealth of customs, and culture. The New World would eventually become a blending of European and American cultures. Christopher Columbus describes himself only as a person observing from the outside, and details the geography he encounters. The entries, therefore, are not considered literature of witness. Alvar Nunez de Vaca, however, becomes a part of the new culture and de Vaca writings are considered a literature of witness. Alvar de Vaca joins in customs of being naked; shares in hunting, fishing and gathering; sleeps on shells; and completes assigned tasks. Alvar de Vaca becomes…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare And Contrast Bartolome De Las Casas
    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare And Contrast Bartolome De Las Casas

    Columbus viewed the Indians as very generous and kind people. However De Las Casas refuses to see Indians are just like Columbus said. He feels or wants to mistake the Indians’ kindness for a weakness, easily manipulate them into enslavement, and do all these cruel and inhumane things to the Indians. De Las Casas and the Christians on the island of Hispaniola began their destruction. Families were being broken up, women and suckling children were being separated. In analysis this very thing is happening in modern times such as terrorism that has people fearing for their lives. Casas stated, “For everyone Christian that the Indians slew, the Christians would slay an hundred Indians” (69). Shockingly De Las Casas was one of the ones that introduced Africans to slavery as well (67). However De Las Casas plan didn’t go as plan for very long because people like Spanish emperor Charles V followed suit with the New Laws of the Indies, which gave Indians full protection and forbade enslavement on any…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca Analysis
    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca Analysis

    Most of the beginning of American history seems like a race of conquest between the Spaniards and Europeans with Native Americans caught in the crossfire. A seemingly peaceful group of people, the Native Americans were under constant attack from the moment settlers arrived into their territory. Historians can pull from first-hand accounts and primary sources to piece together the history of this nation. One Spainard exploratory mission wrecked off the coast of Florida with about 400 men (OTP S1-6, OTP 22). After long battles and shipwrecks, the expedition was cut short and only four men survived, one an African slave and Spanish explorer named Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca. De Vaca wrote a narrative explaining his encounters with Native Americans who had never seen white or black people before. De Vaca described the Indians as “war like people…and protect themselves from their enemies as they would have if they had been raised in Italy and in continuous war” (OTP S1-6). He explains in his narrative…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Humane Colonialism
    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Humane Colonialism

    Panfilo de Narvaez and his fleet of five ships with six hundred men set out with the intention of conquering and governing the provinces given to him by King Charles V. The Spanish expedition, motivated by curiosity, greed, and religion quickly realized the magnitude of their situation after utter and complete disaster after the ventured inland. Soon, survival of the fittest and the basic necessities of life were at the forefront of their thoughts and actions. As the herd of Spanish expeditioners dwindled, they relied upon Indian kindness and generosity to save them from terrible and fateful deaths. The more they depend on the Indians, the more they began to recognize the importance of these intelligent and resourceful people. In identifying with the Indians in their precarious manner, they were integrated into a complex and hierarchical culture in which altered their lives forever.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Discrimination Against Native Americans In 1492
    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Discrimination Against Native Americans In 1492

    The Europeans would look down upon the Native Americans and would call them savages with such fear towards them. In the article The Generall History of Virginia, John Smith said,”All helps abandoned, each hour expecting the fury of the savages, when God, the patron all good endeavors, in that desperate extremity so changed the hearts of the savages that they brought such plenty of their fruit and provision as no man wanted.” This meant the Europeans had fear for the savages known as the Indians in their case and were not grateful for the supplies they have given them. This is sign of complete bias and no equal mindset. In the article La Relacion by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca , stated,” They thought themselves rich with the little and beads we gave them.” This meant that Alvar Nunez thought little of the Natives and looked down upon them. Basically, the Europeans thought the Indians as savages and nothing more. These conflicts could’ve been avoided through the use of…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Changes in the Land
    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Changes in the Land

    Native Americans were some of the first people to live and settle in America, and lived much differently than Europeans. Cabeza de Vaca and William Cronon explain their experiences with Native Americans in Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of American and Changes in the Land respectively. Their lifestyle was very new and unfamiliar to both de Vaca and Cronon when they arrived in America. Cabeza de Vaca arrived in Southwest America in the sixteenth-century while William Cronon arrived in the New England area of America in the twentieth-century. Even though both of them lived in different time periods and were in different parts of America, there are several similarities and a few differences when they observed and encountered Native Americans.…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Christopher Columbus
    • 1002 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Christopher Columbus

    they knew where all the gold was. Columbus was a bad man and so he took some indians as…

    • 1002 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics