The most memorable story or moment in Cabeza de Vaca’s book, Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America, and why? Who was Cabeza de Vaca? I’m sure that your wondering this so I’ll start this essay telling you who he was. Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer exploring the New World. His book Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America is an account of his adventures in America. This is really amazing, because while he was in America he didn’t have a pen or paper, so when he got back to Spain he had to write it all from memory. That means that it is very possible that Cabeza de Vaca may have gotten some accounts incorrect or missed something, but I guess we’ll never know. 

Before I tell you the most memorable part of the story, let me recap the story. Forty-nine years after Columbus found  America, when almost all the different people groups wanted the New World. The story begins with 4 ships with 400 men and 40 horses set sail. They were his with two storms and landed in Florida. The Governor was on one of these ships. The Governor wanted to march inland, but Vaca advised against it, but was overruled by the Governor. 300 of the men marched further inland including the Governor and Vaca. For 25 days the were in an empty land and were getting attacked by different Indian tribes. Soon one-third of their group became sick. They built 32 foot-barges to get on a river to get further inland, then a storm hit. Down the river they found Indians that they traded with. Soon they reached the Mississippi river where the current was so strong that they couldn’t get to land. The Governors barge was separated from the others during a storm and another one capsized. Soon Vaca had the only boat left and reached Galveston Island. There was an Indian tribe on the island that gave them food and drinkable water. The boat capsized so they went home with the Indians. Along the way they found the crew of another barge that had also capsized. Then men started to die from cold and disease  until there were only 15 of them left. At the tribe half of the Indians became sick and died so they blamed it on the Spaniards (It was their fault brining diseases with them). The Indians killed three of them. They escaped and another tribe helped them. There they healed people. Soon they left and kept going west. Along the way they kept finding Indian tribes where they healed people. Word got out and soon tribes were expecting the Spaniards to came and heal them. These tribes paid them to heal people. At one tribe they saw a Indian that had a Spaniard belt buckle. They asked him where he got it and the Indian told them that he took it from a Spaniard who killed two Indians. The Spaniards were enslaving Indians, so Vaca, his men, and 600 Indians went to find the governor. The governor wasn’t there, but the man who was acting Governor preached to the Indians and the Indians became Christians. The captain swore that he would not invade. Then Vaca went to Mexico city and then to Veracruz City to get a ship to go to Spain. Only 4 of the men survived. 

What’s the most memorable story? The fact that The Spaniards could heal the Indians perfectly overnight. This got the Spaniards food, water, and shelter until they got back to Spain.