Analysis Of Cabeza's Journey From Southeast Texas To Mexico

What are the chances of a castaway Spaniard making their way from Southeast Texas to Mexico? What about if the year is 1528 and the entire journey is full of peril? Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish Military veteran who was serving as a treasurer on one of a conquistador’s ship. After landing in the wrong place due to tricky currents, The crew that Cabeza was on was stranded in what is now Tampa Bay, Florida. The conquistador ordered rafts to be built that could carry the men to Mexico. Cabeza was put in charge of one of the five rafts. All of the rafts were washed out to sea by a gust of wind. Three of the rafts were never seen again, However, Cabeza and 80 remaining men were stranded on modern-day Galveston Island. Within months, the number had dropped to 18, soon, only 4 men, including Cabeza, remained. Cabeza was taken in by Native Americans who eventually enslaved Cabeza. After two years of being a slave, Cabeza managed to escape. This is when His journey to Mexico truly began. Now the question

An example of this survival skill can be observed in document B. Under the year 1534, The document details how he was able to keep a source of heat and light by keeping a tree branch burning. This helped him survive by keeping his body temperature up as well as cooking food. A second example of how his resourcefulness helped him survive can be found in document B. Under the year 1530-1535, the document describes how Cabeza learned four different languages and sign language. The speed that Cabeza learned these languages shows his knowledge of how to survive by communicating with the Native Americans. Cabeza’s resourcefulness helped him survive by allowing him to survive the cold and darkness with the torch. His ability to learn languages helped him survive by allowing him to communicate with the Natives Americans that he came