Abstract
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was one of the many Spanish explorers to set foot in the New World in the early sixteenth century. This paper discusses the film "Cabeza de Vaca", directed by Nicolas Echevarria, which tells de Vaca's story. The paper argues that while the film is well done, it makes grossly incorrect stereotypes of the Native Americans and their treatment of the Spaniards. It shows that the portrayal of the Native Americans in this way is in direct contrast to de Vaca's original writings in which he praised the way the locals treated his exploration party.

From the Paper
"Governor P?nfilo de Narvaez was also a Spanish explorer, and it was on June 17th, 1527 that he set sail from Sanlucar de Barrameda. The king of Spain had commissioned him "to conquer and govern the provinces that lie between the river of Las Palmas and the tip of Florida" (Pupo-Walker 5). Accompanying Narvaez and his five ships were three to six hundred Spanish people, of which included Cabeza de Vaca. Cabeza de Vaca "was made treasurer of the expedition by a royal warrant dated 15 February, 1527" (Bishop 25).
The exact details of the voyage are rather confusing. Most historians agree that the expedition stopped several times along the coast of Cuba, gathering supplies as well as losing many men. It then seems that before leaving a port in Cuba, several of the ships sank, drastically dwindling not only the amount of supplies, but also the amount of Spaniards. The voyage then continued their mission to the southern tip of Florida."

Tags:Spain, Cuba, armless, midget