Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
(c. 1490–c. 1557)

Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca left Spain in 1527 as part of a royal expedition to North America. In the course of the years to follow, however, he did much more than just explore North America. He served as a slave, trader, and medicine man among Native Americans.

Cabeza de Vaca became treasurer for the 1527 Florida expedition. Poor decisions and difficult conditions eventually forced the team to sail from Florida to Mexico in flimsy boats. The voyage was a disaster. Eventually, the small fleet was wrecked on the Texas shore near present-day Galveston. Many of the men had been lost at sea and most of the survivors died during the winter from harsh conditions. Cabeza de Vaca and the remaining survivors were captured by a native tribe. For the next four years, Cabeza de Vaca served as a trader and medicine man. In 1534, he and three other members of the original expedition escaped and headed for Mexico. After finally encountering a small party of Spaniards in Mexico, Cabeza de Vaca was appalled by the Spanish party's treatment of Native Americans.

Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain in 1537 and soon faced more difficulties. He was named governor and captain of Spanish settlements on the Río de la Plata, in what is now Paraguay, but in 1544 he was thrown out of his position as governor as a result of a revolt. He was sent back to Spain for a trial. Eventually, most of the charges against him were revoked. After spending his remaining years writing about his exploits, he died some time around 1557.

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