52 pages • 1-hour read
Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition
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Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
Odyssey by Homer (725-675 BCE)
This ancient Greek epic follows the adventures of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, after his success in the Trojan War. Lost at sea for 10 years, Odysseus must survive on foreign shores mostly by his wits.
- Odyssey on SuperSummary
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)
In this novel based on the memoirs of the marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk, Defoe explores the industry and ingenuity of a European shipwreck survivor who manages to colonize the landscape and convert an Indigenous man to Christianity.
- Robinson Crusoe on SuperSummary
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami (2015)
This fictional memoir of Estevanico, one of the surviving members of the Narváez expedition, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
- The Moor’s Account on SuperSummary
Further Reading: Beyond Literature (Nonfiction)
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas (1552)
This Spanish Dominican friar’s account for the Spanish Prince Phillip II of the atrocities perpetrated against the Indigenous peoples of the Americas juxtaposes the inhumane behavior of conquistadors with the innate goodness of the Indigenous population for rhetorical effect.
- A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies on SuperSummary
“Cabeza de Vaca, Álvar Núñez (ca. 1490–ca. 1559)” by Donald E. Chipman (1952)
This biography of Cabeza de Vaca for the Texas State Historical Association provides maps and images illustrating the Narváez expedition and the subsequent travels of its survivors.
“The Negotiation of Fear in Cabeza de Vaca’s Naufragios” by Rolena Adorno (1993)
“In Search of Cabeza de Vaca’s Route across Texas: An Historical Survey” by Donald E. Chipman (1987)
“How Cabeza de Vaca Lived with, Worked among, and Finally Left the Indians of Texas” by Nancy P. Hickerson (1998)
Video & Podcast Resources
Cabeza de Vaca (1991)
A Mexican film directed by Nicolás Echevarría for Concorde Pictures, this is a fictionalized version of Cabeza de Vaca’s experiences.
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