SOURCE: Introduction to The Account: Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's Relación, translated by Martin A. Favata and José Fernández, Arte Público Press, 1993, pp. 11-19.

In the following essay, Favata and Fernández recount details fromCabeza de Vaca's life, his route through North America, and the literary qualities of his chronicle.

During Spain's process of exploration and conquest in the Western Hemisphere, the chronicle, a traditional genre in Spanish literature, continued to be written by the participants in this enterprise. Many of these men were neither learned scholars nor creators of beauty; yet their chronicles are filled with creative power as well as valuable information.

Among these men was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, the first Spaniard to traverse—on foot—a large portion of the recently discovered territory of North America. His journey (1528-1536) predates the expeditions of De Soto and of Coronado...