3.5 ( )

A gripping subject, to be sure, but ultimately (and I understand this may be due to limited resources from which to draw) it just sort of ends in an unsatisfactory way. And then the second half of the page count is made up of reference and notes. So, much shorter than you expect. ( )

Fair outline of the epic journey. For details, several of the references provided would need to be read. ( )

This story concerns Cabeza de Vaca, one of the earliest, if also inadvertent, explorers of North America and the southern United States from Tampa, Fl. to the Pacific Ocean. While many of the conquistadors' tales are simply amazing, this one has to stand at the top. Unfortunately because Cabeza and 3 other survivors failed at their intended quest and learned a bit about humility and compassion, their tale hasn't survived to the modern popular conscience, at least in America.

This is a narrative history of de Vaca and his era. It is not the actual "La relación of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca" that de Vaca wrote or his secretary's "Comentarios". Those books are old and available on the free book sites on the internet in the original Spanish. For this book, the author retells the narrative with enlightening discussions on various aspects of the tale. At least half the book is Notes or Bibliography, which I found valuable. The Bibliography also recommends various English translations. One advantage of this history over the actual transcripts is that Resendez provides valuable context and a higher perspective.

I knocked it half a star due to occasional misspellings and typos. Not frequent, but scattered throughout the book. The binding is also poor: one signature isn't glued or sewn properly and so it protrudes when the book is opened. Maps are relevant and placed conveniently near corresponding material. Illustrations sometimes contribute; sometimes they seem gratuitous. ( )

As the saying goes, the truth is stranger than fiction. This account of an early Spanish explorer is so surreal that it is hard to believe. Even stranger still is that this story is relatively unknown in the English speaking world. Why this epic hasn't been made into a major movie, I can't say.

In summary, Cabeza de Vaca is part of a colonization expedition to Florida that goes horribly wrong. Stranded there, the conquistadores raft from Florida to Texas, but most die along the way. Cabeza de Vaca and 3 others manage to survive through adapting to different native cultures, first as slaves, then as shamanistic healers. After wandering from along the coast of Texas and Mexico, and then walking through the continent to the Pacific Ocean (!), they eventually meet up with Spanish slavers after 6 years. Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain and wrote a record of his journey.

His is an amazing story on its own, but of equal intrigue are the tantalizing details of the many Native groups he and the 3 other castaways encountered. Some of the groups that Cabeza de Vaca encoutered disappeared almost immediately after contact from either disease or enslavement. His historic record is one of the only glimpses we will ever have of some of these peoples.

Resendez retells Cabeza de Vaca's tale based on his and other historic records, as well as providing some context around the larger political machinations occuring at the time. For example, Cabeza de Vaca's ill fated journey was an indirect result of Cortes' conquest of Mexico and the rivalry of conquistadores.
Fascinating story and well compiled and presented by Resendez. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the early history and conquest of North America. ( )