Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca

Just as Christopher Columbus, Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca was a fortunate individual. He was the grandson of a conqueror, son of an alderman, and descendant of a war hero. Unfortunately for him, he was destined to be a great as his ancestors. He endured many hardships upon the Panfilo de Narvaez's expedition. Under Narvaez's leadership, a quarter of his men deserted him, and all six ships he had went missing leaving Narvaez, Cabeza De Vaca, and the rest of the army stranded on Sarasota Bay, and abandonment by Narvaez, who became lost at sea, on Mobile Bay, and eventually becoming prisoner and slave of an Indian tribe. Though he had this run of bad fortune, things started looking up when he gained rank and power amongst the different tribes he was sent to due to his skills as a merchant and healer. But still he had a time of difficulty During the time he spent he with the different tribes he became immersed in their culture and managed to record his time with them.
First it starts with the life of the Malhado's and their way of life. He describes in such amazement how their weapon of choice is an arrow, how the men pierce themselves in the lips and chest, and how the women work consistently for their families. The part that seems to astonish him the most is the villages love for the children, and how they go to great lengths to protect them, and that if a child dies the whole village joins with the child's family and grieves over, celebrates them, and literally starve themselves for three whole months. What also astonishes him was that children were breastfed until the age of twelve, so they can be nourished till they're old enough to support themselves. Next he talks about how when a daughter gets married her husband and her parents stay completely away from each other, and that whatever food her husband kills or catches goes straight to the parents and in return they feed him. He also talks about the harsh life he had among the Avavres and Arbadaos. He talks about intense hunger that he and his group go through and how they only ate two handfuls of pears a day. He mentions how because they were naked most of the time, as is the custom, that the sun and air caused them great pain and that when they carried something it only made it worst because the cords cut into their flesh and made them bleed, just like the thorns when they were gathering wood. But he says he finds comfort and gets over it by thinking about how Jesus Christ shed His blood for him and how much greater punishment he went through than he was at that time. He also describes the time of great prosperity for him because he was able to feed himself due to his merchant skills.
Lastly he tells of the men who are childless to leave their wives, if there is a disagreement and to return when they felt, and how men with children never abandon their wives or child no matter what takes place. If only that custom still existed. He also talks about the power of friendship amongst the people. He tells of how when there is an argument between two men that they fist-fight until they are exhausted and separate for quite some time and come back when ready and act as if nothing took place and become and remain friends. He also tells of his joy when he realized that they were close to being rescued, but how that quickly changed to anger when the captain, Diego de Alcaraz, tried to make slaves of the natives that were so kind and hospitable to Cabeza De Vaca and his group.