Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was born in Spain around 1490. He grew up in the age of great voyages to the New World. Columbus, Cortés, Vespucci—he knew all of those names.
In 1527 he sailed on Pánfilo de Narváez’s mission to conquer what is now Florida. On June 15, 5 ships and 600 men sailed from Sanlúcar. They were going to bring Christianity to the “heathens.” They would convert them by force if they had to. And they would return rich with gold!
Cabeza de Vaca did get to Florida. But he did not do what the Spanish had hoped. He was among the first to report on the inner areas of Florida and on the opossum and armadillo. He was the first to explore what is now Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. He was the first to describe the buffalo and the Gila monster. And he was the first to describe many tribes of Native Americans. His work proved that North America was much bigger than anyone had dreamed.
