fought Indians in the Greater Antilles and Spaniards ( Hernán Cortés) in
Mexico, where he lost an eye. On December 11, 1527, he got the capitula-
tions (a contract with the crown) that he needed for a conquest of "Florida." ³
Like so many others, he dreamed of another Mexico. To look after royal
interests, the king of Spain, Charles I, sent along Cabeza de Vaca as royal
treasurer and chief constable (alguacil mayor). ⁴

In June 1527 Governor Narváez sailed for America. His fleet of five ships
carried some six hundred people, but more than 145 of them decided to stay
at Santo Domingo. Later, at Cuba, sixty others were lost in a hurricane. When
Narváez finally sailed to Florida in April 1528, he had only four hundred
men and eighty horses. Such conquistadores were adventurers of varied
backgrounds, some more desperate than others, and they often proved quite
effective in battle. Discipline and the methods of warfare were more cus-
tomary than formal, and the key to control over such a company was its
leadership. On Good Friday Narváez's ships landed on Florida's west coast,
although the exact site remains open to debate. The next day, at an Indian
village deserted by its wary people, Narváez claimed the land in the name
of Charles I. ⁵

Ten years later, Cabeza de Vaca wrote a report for the king about the
experiences that followed. It was published in 1542 (at Zamora) as La relación
(Relation), and a second edition appeared in 1555 (at Valladolid) under the
title Naufragios (Shipwrecks). ⁶ This classic story of conquest, written in part
to win another royal office, tells of his many adventures and reveals his
changing ideas about the native people of America. This book says little
about the Indians in Florida--a few sentences about what he did and saw
provide the only evidence of his ideas. ⁷ Naturally, he wrote mostly about
his own work and the problems of survival. The Indians at the town on the
coast where he landed were hostile, a warning of troubles to come. ⁸ The
Spaniards, who had their own reasons to go onward, forced the Indians to
act as guides and took their stores of corn.

Cabeza de Vaca's legal responsibilities did include the Indians. While the
main duties were financial, he was instructed to "take care of and be diligent
to look after anything that may tend to our royal service," including telling
the king "how the natives are treated, our instructions observed, and other

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