Introduction to cabeza de vaca and his account

Biographical information

Álvar Núñez Caveza de Vaca was born in around 1460 in Jerez de la Frontera, a town in Andalusia, Spain, to Francisco de Vera and Teresa Cabeza de Vaca. His genealogy is important to note, as his lineage boasts a rich military history. His father served as a soldier, while his paternal grandfather, Pedro de Vera Mendoza, was among the conquerors of the Canary Islands (Suñe 117). His mother’s side included a fleet captain (Álvar Núñez); a Grand Master of the Order of Santiago; and Martín Alhaja, the shepherd honored by King Sancho with the name “Cabeza de Vaca” (Favata and Fernández 12). Martín Alhaja earned this name by aiding in the Spanish victory in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in July 1212. Alhaja approached the Spanish camp and offered to help the army by identifying an unguarded mountain pass with a cow’s skull. As a result, the Spanish Christian army was able to mount a surprise attack on the Moors. Since it was not uncommon to give children their mother’s last name (either in addition to their father’s last name or by itself), Álvar Núñez Caveza de Vaca was named after his mother’s prominent ancestor.

Cabeza de vaca

Following his relatives’ footsteps, Cabeza de Vaca entered the military as a young adult and served the Spanish army in Italy (parts of Italy belonged to Spain at the time). After the Battle of Ravenna on April 11, 1512 One of the battles between the French and the Holy League (Spain and the Papal states) during the War of the League of Cambrai. , he was promoted to alférez (second lieutenant)(Favata and Fernández 12). In 1513, he returned to Seville and served the Duke of Medina Sidonia (Favata and Fernández 12). In 1520, Cabeza de Vaca and the Duke helped put an end to the citizen uprising during the Revolt of the Comuneros. During the Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla , the citizens revolted against King Carlos I’s rule.

The narváez expedition

In 1527, Pánfilo Narváez, the governor of Cuba, received royal orders to conquer the lands between Río de las Palmas (modern-day Río Soto la Marina in Tamaulipas, Mexico) and the Florida peninsula (Krieger 21). Cabeza de Vaca, equipped with letters of recommendation from Cadiz nobility (due to his connections to the Duke of Medina Sidonia), interviewed with Narváez to take part in his expedition (Suñe 118). This documentation proved sufficient, and on February 15, 1527, Cabeza de Vaca was appointed head treasurer (Favata and Fernández 12) and constable, or aguacil , of the expedition (Suñe 118). Cabeza de Vaca may have married at this time; however, there is no record of any children (Favata and Fernández 12; Suñe 118).