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Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβaɾ ˈnuɲeθ kaˈβeθa ðe ˈβaka] ⓘ; c. 1488/90/92 [1] – after 19 May 1559 [2]) was a Spanish explorer of the New World, and one of four survivors of the 1527 Narváez expedition.
The surname "Baca" is often assumed to be a variation of the name "Cabeza de Vaca", which means "head of a cow" in Spanish. The two possible origins of this name are: A Spanish shepherd, Martin Alhaja, was given the name by the Castilian King Alfonso VIII. In 1212, Alhaja placed a cow skull on the road that led over a pass in the mountains.
La Junta Indians is a collective name for the various Indians living in the area known as La Junta de los Rios ("the confluence of the rivers": the Rio Grande and the Conchos River) on the borders of present-day West Texas and Mexico. In 1535 Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca recorded visiting these peoples while making his way to a Spanish settlement ...
The later Spanish tales were largely caused by reports given by the four shipwrecked survivors of the failed Narváez expedition, which included explorers Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his slave Estevanico. Eventually returning to New Spain, the
Estevanico (c. 1500 –1539), also known as Mustafa Azemmouri and Esteban de Dorantes and Estevanico the Moor, was the first person of African descent to explore North America. He was one of the last four survivors of the Narváez expedition, along with Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, and Alonso del Castillo Maldonado.
Upon returning to Spain, Cabeza de Vaca wrote of the expedition in his La relación y comentarios ("The Account and Commentaries" [3]), published in 1542 as the first written account of the indigenous peoples, wildlife, flora, and fauna of inland North America. It was published again by Cabeza de Vaca in 1555, this time to include descriptions ...
The Spanish Christian King surprised the Moorish army and defeated them. [1] For his assistance, King Alfonso VIII gave Alhaja the title "Cabeza de Vaca", which means "head of a cow". He was awarded a coat-of-arms that included cow skulls in its design. He is the maternal ancestor of explorer Cabeza de Vaca. [2]
The Guadalupe River passes through the town, and the present-day site is believed to be the location that Spanish explorers including Alonso de Leon, used to cross the river. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca is regarded as the first European to encounter the river at this location circa 1528.