Early Life.

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was born around 1492 in Andalusia, a region of Spain. His parents died while he was young, so he moved in with an aunt and uncle, and he probably had a fairly comfortable early life. During his teenage years he was appointed chamberlain for the house of a noble family, and he later served the household in a war in Italy where he fought with distinction. He returned to Spain in 1521 and enlisted as an officer in the crown's army.

Narvaez's Expedition.

What happened next in Cabeza de Vaca's life is unclear, but in the summer of 1527 he embarked with six hundred other men Panfilo de Narvaez had assembled to explore Florida. Because of a hurricane and logistical problems Narvaez landed in present-day Tampa Bay with only half of his original...