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Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America (Zia Book)

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Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America (Zia Book) (Paperback)

by Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca (Author), Cyclone Covey (Translator)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca by Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
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A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca by Andre Resendez
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Cabeza de Vaca came to the New world in 1527 as part of a Spanish expedition to conquer the region north of the Gulf of Mexico. His exploration party lost contact with their ships, set out northward on foot, and traveled, their numbers soon reduced from 300 to 4, across Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico for the next eight years. In addition to being one of the great true adventure stories of all time, Cabeza de Vaca's account of their travels is an unparalleled source of firsthand information on the pre-European Southwest--the variety of its climate, its flora and fauna, the customs of its natives. They were the first to see the opossum and the buffalo, the Mississippi and the Pecos, pine-nut mash and mesquite-bean flour. This book contains the first description in literature of a West Indies Hurricane.

"Cabeza de Vaca was not only a physical trailblazer: he was also a literary pioneer, and he deserves the distinction of being called the Southwest's first writer.... The RelaciÃ³n, while not fiction, possesses most of the attributes of a good novel."--William T. Pilkington

Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish (translation)

Product Details

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (April 1, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 082630656X
ISBN-13: 978-0826306562
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #284,959 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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	65% buy the item featured on this page: Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America (Zia Book) 4.7 out of 5 stars (20) $11.65
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	11% buy A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca 4.3 out of 5 stars (17) $13.22
	6% buy Brutal Journey: Cabeza de Vaca and the Epic First Crossing of North America 4.3 out of 5 stars (31) $12.00

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews

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4 star:		(7)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)

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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning true story, March 18, 1999

By	John (CA) - See all my reviews

After reading Cabeza de Vaca's account, it is hard to believe his tale hasn't been made into an epic movie. Of course, the story's treatment of Indians as real, complex people would not have worked in the era of the cowboy-and-Indian movies. Ironically, now that attitudes toward Native Americans would allow a sensitive treatment, such a vast story would be prohibitively expensive to shoot and take several hours to tell properly. But the payoff would be immense. When the lights came up, the viewers would wonder how they ever could have settled for the mythical movie "Dances with Wolves".

Note: Cabeza de Vaca's story is paraphrased in a book called "Journey into Darkness". It helps greatly in understanding the true nature of his journey, telling, for example, what Indian tribes he may have been encountering and where exactly he was at a given time. Incidently, Cabeza de Vaca greatly underestimated the distance he had traveled.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good translation of DeVaca's original Relacion., June 13, 1998

By A Customer

This work relates the adventures of a Spaniard who travelled on the first foray into Florida, under the command of a greedy Governor Navarez who was eager to find rich cities to conquer, as Cortez had recently done against the Aztecs. Navarez, however, was no Cortez, and one mistake after another put the entire expedition in jeopardy. De Vaca's account relates what became of this expedition into Florida and the American West. It is no exaggeration to claim that this is one of the most significant books ever to be written, however this particular translation was not without its own flaws. I could imagine a better, easier to read translation than this (this one was first published in 1961). Additions made in brackets were sometimes confusing and broke in without often adding any information that aided in the reading. He does include portions that compare this account with another referred to as the Joint Report which were all right. Descriptions of place would better have been shown on a map (but the book has no maps or illustrations at all). At the close I would have liked to see a concluding bio of De Vaca but instead got an unneccesary Epilogue on the literary significance of the work, after the work has already spoken for itself. The first time I read about this was in Journey Into Darkness by John Upton Terrell, who used this Relacion to tell the story, but failed by often looking back on the event from our own day, as opposed to transporting you back as a translation of the original Relacion should do. In this case the rating is based only on this edition while the story itself is one of the most important works in the world.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harrowing, must-read classic--to Mexico from Florida in 1528, June 11, 1997

By A Customer

I had never heard of Cabeza De Vaca until I chanced across this book. This is Cabeza De Vaca's story of how he, among two hundred Spanish soldiers, was shipwrecked in Florida in 1528. This harrowing but fascinating story tells about the walk to the nearest Spanish outpost--in Mexico.

It takes years, of course, and along the way, Cabeza De Vaca is sometimes treated as a slave and sometimes as a medicine man by the Indians he encounters. When he arrives in Mexico, he is accompanied only by a large troupe of Indians--everyone else is dead. And the Indians with him are immediately enslaved themselves. He spent the rest of his life battling to help the Indians.

For further information, see http://www3.pbs.org/weta/thewest/wpages/wpgs610/cabeza.htm.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars the ultimate "nature hike"

The tale begins with the shipwrecking of 300 plus Spaniards who survive a hurricane, washing ashore on the gulf side of the Florida peninsula. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Matt Hill

5.0 out of 5 stars Cabeza de Vaca's narrative is a "must read"
Cabeza de Vaca was among the first, if not the first, European explorer to venture into Florida, the Deep South, the American Southwest, and northwest Mexico. Read more

Published 8 months ago by J. Tatum

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing journey through history and faith!
My son and I heard this book on tape nine years ago, and frequently refer to it to this day. We were delighted to find it in print form. Read more

Published on June 16, 2007 by Carol F. Wallis

4.0 out of 5 stars Harrowing tale of Survival in pre-conquest North America
For many, if not most Americans, early history of the Americas goes something like this - Columbus to the Pilgrims to the American Revolution, end of story. Read more

Published on September 18, 2006 by Theo Logos

5.0 out of 5 stars A book of unparralled value.
Why read a 'history' fantasy when you can read one man's true adventure? "Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America" is a real source document. Read more

Published on June 7, 2005 by Joseph K. Konn

5.0 out of 5 stars Naked faith
I concur with all those who have praised this book, particularly the reviewer who suggested that it offered a great deal to confound many Christians who are hard-headedly (as well... Read more

Published on February 23, 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Why isn't Cabeza de Vaca better-known among Christians?
I asked myself that question after I finished re-reading this book recently. Part of the answer may be that it has something to embarass Christians of every stripe. Read more

Published on November 8, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unknown Chapter in American History
When I first moved to the Southwest, I asked locals to recommend books to learn about the area. I am so glad someone recommended this. I had never heard of Cabeza de Vaca. Read more

Published on September 14, 2002 by John R. Foulks

4.0 out of 5 stars Survival
If you have ever been bitten by a mosquito or wondered what it is like to walk further than the corner store, this book is for you. Read more

Published on July 14, 2002 by Joe Kay

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
This book is one of the greatest books I have ever read. It conveys the full experience the Spanish must have had when entering America.

Published on October 11, 2001 by brian

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