Do you know how Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca got his name? It was a gift of the Spanish king to his great grandfather who used the skull of a cow to mark a passage for retreat against the Moores in the late 15th century. The cattleman was given the title as an honor for helping the king’s efforts which also endowed the family with the status of Spanish nobility. The following image is of the original gold-flaked cover to the 1524 publication of Nunez Cabeza de Vaca’s monumental exploration narrative, La Relacion.
The amazingly honest account of his travels through the Southeast/western United States details the ability for a humble European to live and prosper among the natives in the land. The following picture represents the famed explorer near the end of his journey. Planting a cross with a legion of native followers, the European offered a different way to learn about the land that did not involve the destruction of what was found.
For more information about Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca or to read La Relacion visit the Southwestern Writer’s Collection at Texas State University.
