The Journey of Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca


Read by Sue Anderson

(4.7 stars; 81 reviews)

Few stories of shipwreck and survival can equal that of the 16th century Spaniard Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca who, cast ashore near present day (USA) Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1528, survived eight years of hand-to-mouth existence among the Indians of the South and Southwest, and who walked on foot across the plains to the Pacific Coast, arriving in Mexico in 1536. In 1542 he published an account of his adventures, and the present reading is based on Fanny Bandelier’s English translation of that text.

Cabeza de Vaca, along with three other survivors, two Spaniards and a North African (Estévanico, a black slave) endured incredible hardships. Cabeza da Vaca was, himself, at first enslaved by the Indians, forced to dig roots with his bare hands for food. However, he soon showed powers of adaptation that allowed him to survive. He became a trader, bartering “seashells and cockles” from the coast for hides, red ochre, flint, and deer hair tassels from the inland tribes. “Trade suited me well,” he writes, “because it gave me liberty to go where I pleased.” The Indians “rejoiced greatly when seeing me and I would bring them what they needed, and those who did not know me would desire and endeavor to meet me for sake of my fame.” Cabeza de Vaca’s “fame” soon grew to include a reputation as a healer. In return for his “cures,” the Indians gave him “all that they had,” which included food, often in perilously short supply.

The success of the survivors’ final overland treck in search of Spanish settlement reflected their comprehension of Indian customs and values. They were passed along from one tribe to another, accompanied by an ontourage of friendly natives. At each stop, Cabeza de Vaca saw to it that the food and presents he received were distributed to his followers by their chiefs, thus ensuring their loyalty.

After eight years among the Indians, Cabeza de Vaca had a hard time adjusting to “civilization.” He writes that the Spanish governor in Mexico “received us very well, giving us what he had, for us to dress in; but for many days I could bear no clothing, nor could we sleep except on the bare floor.” His first person narrative is an exciting tale of survival “against the odds.”
(Introduction by Sue Anderson) (4 hr 19 min)

Chapters

Chapter 0 24:01 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 1 21:51 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 2 27:25 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 3 25:04 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 4 30:13 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 5 27:57 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 6 26:25 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 7 24:01 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 8 24:14 Read by Sue Anderson
Chapter 9 27:58 Read by Sue Anderson

Reviews

Fantastic forgotten story!


(5 stars)

This is the 1st book written in the Americas in all of history. It describes an incredibly painful, brilliant and amazing journey whose basic facts Hollywood could never touch in entertainment value. It really makes your bad day look pretty nice when you see what these people suffered, and you get a glimpse into long extinct tribes of native Americans and their ways. By accident or by design the narrator's voice and tempo seemed to fit perfectly with the telling of this historic piece.

An Incredible Story Well Narrated


(5 stars)

I am grateful to the narrator for her time and effort. I have never heard of a more amazing story of intercultural contact. It is so full of reversals of fortune and improbable, fantastic events that it sounds like fiction. In its own way, much of the work is anthropological, although it long predates that discipline. Thank you!


(4.5 stars)

I can't begin to imagine the hardships and privations of these individuals as they tracked across this country . kudos to the reader, who did a very excellent job!

extraordinary story


(5 stars)

amazing to read such an account. so many questions about those Indians they met. I want to know more

The narrator of this remarkable story, Sue Miller, is brilliant.


(5 stars)

Everything about Ms. Miller’s presentation (pacing, pronunciation, etc.) is exemplary.

well read and enjoyable


(4.5 stars)

it is helpful to know something about prior expeditions around the 1500's.

interesting. Thank you Ms Anderson enjoyed your reading.


(5 stars)