Why Did Cabeza De Vaca Survive?

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It’s hard to believe that more than 400 years ago, a man was shipwrecked and stranded for nine years in Mexico, and yet he still managed to stay alive. His name was Cabeza De Vaca. Cabeza was a military veteran aboard the Narvaez expedition to the New World for riches and colonization, but the adventure had gone completely wrong in many ways. After currents pushed the ships off course, Narvaez ordered his crew to make five rafts for the remaining 250 people on the expedition. Cabeza was commanding one of these rafts, and when his raft washed up on Galveston Island, Texas, his life of survival began. So this is the big question being asked: How did Cabeza De Vaca survive? Cabeza De Vaca survived because of his respect for the native americans, his success as a healer, and …show more content…
“In 1535 Cabeza had done a successful surgical operation on an indian to remove an arrow from his chest”(Document C). As a result, his reputation as a great healer built up among the Indians. This surgical cure was something the indians had never seen before, so in response the showered Cabeza with support and popularity. This contributed to his survival in the harsh desert-like environment.
Finally, Cabeza De Vaca survived because of his wilderness survival skills. “Cabeza undertook a 2,400 mile journey”(Document A) and had to have some survival skills. “He ate what was available, carried water in hollowed-out horse legs, and even made his own torch to light four fires”(Document B). His wilderness skills helped him survive in the early stages of being shipwrecked.
So because of his respect for native americans, his success as a healer, and his wilderness skills Cabeza De Vaca survived for a miraculous nine years. Do you think you could survive for that long? Maybe some of his skills were picked up from the native americans, or did he have some equipment? We don’t know but we know one thing, Cabeza De Vaca really is a true