Question

What native people did Cabeza de Vaca meet when he landed near Galveston?

Answer 1

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was born about 1490 near Cádiz, Spain. His parents were Francisco de Vera and Teresa Cabeza de Vaca. His mother's family surname which he used and was known by is said to have arose from an ancestor who contributed to a 13th century Christian victory by marking a pass for the victors with a cow's skull. Cabeza served in the Spanish army under Charles V and his fame in the Americas began with his appointment as treasurer for the expeditions of Pánfilo de Narváez of 1527-28, who has served with Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Narváez was commissioned to colonize "Florida" which was at that time the entire Gulf Coast from current Florida and Pánuco Province of Mexico. In 1528, Narváez landed on the west coast of Florida from Cuba where he became lost on an overland probe with about 300 men. Thinking that the distance to Pánuco was a few leagues away, the group of about 250 put out to sea from northwest Florida on five vessels improvised from local materials. Following the coast, they made the mouth of the Mississippi River, but were separated by heavy weather and seas. At least two vessels washed up on Galveston Island or in its proximity in Nov 1528. This group of which four survived including Cabeza de Vaca are thought to be the first Europeans in Texas. Because of his resourcefulness, Cabeza de Vaca can be considered the first European merchant, medical doctor and surgeon, geographer, ethnologist and historian in Texas and was clearly the first European to live among, observe and survive to report on the aboriginal cultures of Texas. Because of his writings, he is probably the first Texas author of consequence. Although the detailed location of Cabeza's experiences and journeys are uncertain, it is believed that he traveled and wrote of experiences in the heart of future DeWitt Colony along the Guadalupe River, which he called the "river of nuts" after the abundant pecan trees that grew in the region. From there in 1534, Cabeza and three other survivors which he met there departed for Pánuco and after nearly two years traveled to Culiacán near the Pacific Coast of Mexico. We know of the journey and experiences through the Relación of Cabeza de Vaca in which he recorded his recollections and government reports based on interviews with the four survivors. The seven year experience in Texas and recollections of the survivors provided extensive and earliest insight into aboriginal cultures, the terrain and vegetation. Cabeza de Vaca afterwards continued to serve the Spanish King in 1540 in what became Paraguay, accused of wrong doing and banished to North Africa after being called back to Spain, but later found innocent of charges and died in Spain sometime in the 1550's.