Cabeza De Vaca Dbq Essay

Cabeza de Vaca was lost, weak, and starving as he was eaten alive by a swarm of mosquitoes with each step he took. Cabeza de Vaca was in this position because he was part of an expedition which was originally sailing towards the New World. When they shipwrecked in modern day Florida, they had to sacrifice many of their possessions. This included killing their horses for supplies and food, as stated in the Background Essay. Cabeza de Vaca used many methods in order to survive, and the most important ones were respecting Native Americans, being a healer, and having wilderness skills. Having respect for the Indians definitely helped him survive on his journey back to Mexico. Cabeza de Vaca took time to befriend his captors and even learn four Indian languages just from pure respect, which helped him even become a trader, as stated in Document B. The Native Americans trusted Cabeza de Vaca, because he “cured the sick, … came naked and barefoot, … and we did not covet anything (Document D)”. Whereas the Spaniards the exact opposite, which convinced the Indians that they were lying when they stated that Cabeza de Vaca was one of them. Respect for each other resulted in the Natives thinking of Cabeza de Vaca as a good person, someone who they would never hurt and someone who they would help. …show more content…
He knew in harsh conditions, as stated in Document B: “Cabeza de Vaca ate what was available… and drank water in hollowed-out horse-leg containers.” He had these skills also because he was a soldier, and this wasn’t his first time living on “berries, mollusks, rats, roots, lizards, snakes, and spiders (Document B).” Even at night, Cabeza de Vaca used torches and a pit to keep warm in the freezing weather. Having knowledge of how to survive in the wild helped him on the whole way back to Mexico City, because he knew the best ways to find food, water, and warmth in the

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