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Article: Enriched by otherness: the transformational journey of Cabeza de Vaca.(Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca)(Critical essay)
- Article from:
- Christianity and Literature
- Article date:
- September 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Conference on Christianity and Literature. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion presents one of the earliest accounts of Spanish exploration in North America. Although it begins as a common tale of a sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador in search of gold and glory, Cabeza de Vaca's story is anything but typical. In fact, it depicts a remarkable adventure unequaled in the history of the New World. (1) Forming part of the ill-fated 1527 expedition of Panfilo de Narvaez, Cabeza de Vaca found himself shipwrecked off the coast of Florida. Struggling to survive in a hostile environment, and under conditions of desperate need, the original group of six hundred men was eventually reduced to just four. La Relacion ("The ...