We Came Naked and Barefoot: The Journey of Cabeza de Vaca across North America (Texas Archaeology and Ethnohistory Series)

In 1527 a doomed expedition left Spain for Florida. Most of the 600 men were lost when the fleet was wrecked off Texas. Four men escaped, including Cabeza de Vaca, only to endure six years of captivity by Native Americans. In 1536 they arrived in Mexico City having escaped and walked at least 1,500 miles across North America. For years historians have debated the path that the men took; this book examines the accounts of the survivors and debates the value of each suggested route. Krieger's discussion, which was largely written in the 1950s and only now published, is full of extracts from primary sources. Much of the second half of the book comprises a complete English translation of the Account of the Disasters by Cabeza de Vaca himself.