Book Review - The Account

Many years ago I had a book review column in the Darkwater Revelry.  The idea behind it was I would review recent-ish books that I thought would be of interest to Scadians.  I reviewed histories, historical fiction novels, a couple sci-fi/fantasy novels that I felt were clearly influenced by historical events or individuals, and even a literary novel where the character was in a medieval reenactment group much like the SCA.  Ilene asked that I resurrect my column for the blog and I thought I'd give it a try.  The format will be similar to what I did in the past subject-wise meaning my taste in generas is all over the map but I don't promise that what I'm reviewing will be especially current.  I hope that you find my reviews relevant to Scadian life, in and out of garb, and that you are inspired to check out these works or similar works for yourself.

The Account:  Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion
Martin A. Favata & Jose B. Fernandez (trs.)
(Arte Publica Press 1993)


The Relacion was written in 1542, with a second publication in 1555, by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca who with three companions was the first Spaniard to travel overland across North America.  This journey, which took from 1528-1536, predates De Soto's coming to Florida or Coronado's exploration of what is now the southwest US.   The account was done as a report to the Spanish Crown of Cabeza de Vaca's experiences on the journey and the lands and peoples he encountered.

The new Spanish governor of Florida left Cuba in 1527 with five ships to explore the territory.  Cabeza de Vaca served as treasurer and provost marshal for the expedition.  They landed in a large bay in Florida, possibly present day Sarasota or more likely Tampa Bay.  The governor made the ill-fated decision to abandon contact with the ships and strike out overland.  The expedition traveled up the west coast of Florida with the governor, against the advice of Cabeza de Vaca, antagonizing the Native Americans along the way.  They would eventually arrive at the Timucuan village of Apalachee, near present day Tallahassee.  Due to conflicts with the natives and lack of supplies, the Spaniards build four rafts, commanded by the governor, Cabeza de Vaca, and two other officers, and attempt to travel by water to New Spain (Mexico!).  Somewhere in the vicinity of the Mississippi delta, a storm scatters the rafts, the governor abandons his men, and Cabeza de Vaca ends up washed ashore in what is thought to be present day Texas.

This begins the main part of Cabeza de Vaca's odyssey.  He will make and lose contact with the other castaways.  He will spend a great deal of time as a virtual slave to one group of natives on the "Isle of Misfortune" (Galveston Island?) before breaking free of them and, along with two other Spaniards and a Moorish slave, travel across Texas before finally arriving in Mexico.

This chronicle remains important because it not only recounts the hardships endured on this incredible journey but it serves as one of the first eyewitness accounts of the Native American peoples and customs of the times.  Cabeza de Vaca witnesses hunting and gathering practises, marriage customs, and warfare and raiding between tribes.  Despite his time on the "Isle of Misfortune," he is extremely sympathetic to the natives.  Most seem to have treated him as best they could, sharing what little they had to subsist upon with him and his companions.  Unlike many of his compatriots, he speaks out against the ill treatment of the natives, both with the incidents of hostility in Florida and the exploitation of the natives he finds in New Spain.  Cabeza de Vaca's account is also extremely humble, especially when compared to the accounts of other explorers of the time.

If this account has any weakness, it is how much Cabeza de Vaca does not tell about his trip from Florida to Mexico.  After all, he chronicles an eight year journey in barely 130 pages.  One longs to hear more details about the many native tribes he encounters as well as more about the land he traveled. 

Besides being one of the first descriptions of Native Americans, this history also has what may be the first European description of a hurricane and one of the earliest accounts of lay Christian missionary work in the Americans.  This translation also contains many notes of modern scholarship that seek to match up The Account with specific tribes and locations.  There is also a bibliography that is sure to be helpful with a Spanish or even Native American persona in the early to mid 1500s.