Zammouri, the first Arab American, was sold into slavery in Morocco and brought to the U.S., where he eventually became a famous healer, interpreter and explorer. Zammouri was probably captured in 1511, when Portugal invaded his city. He was then sold into slavery and his captors renamed him Estebanico. After 16 years of captivity, he was taken to Florida as a part of a Spanish expeditionary force. Zammouri traveled over 6,000 miles between 1528 and 1536, trekking across the American Southwest. Some accounts say that he and his companions spent the first four years as prisoners of Native Americans until they were able to escape. Other Native Americans took them in and asked them to be medicine men. They were successful and their fame spread …show more content…
From this work, it is said that Zammouri learned six local dialects and was sought after as a translator. In 1539, he was asked to be the chief guide for a Spanish expedition to explore new territory. Unfortunately, on