Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vacas Humane Colonialism free essay sample

Panfilo de Narvaez and his fleet of five ships with six hundred men set out with the intention of conquering and governing the provinces given to him by King Charles V. The Spanish expedition, motivated by curiosity, greed, and religion quickly realized the magnitude of their situation after utter and complete disaster after the ventured inland. Soon, survival of the fittest and the basic necessities of life were at the forefront of their thoughts and actions. As the herd of Spanish expeditioners dwindled, they relied upon Indian kindness and generosity to save them from terrible and fateful deaths. The more they depend on the Indians, the more they began to recognize the importance of these intelligent and resourceful people. In identifying with the Indians in their precarious manner, they were integrated into a complex and hierarchical culture in which altered their lives forever. Throughout Cabeza de Vaca’s narrative, Indians of many different tribes offered their assistance with food, clothes, and information. We will write a custom essay sample on Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vacas Humane Colonialism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The single greatest opportunity for the Spaniards came about when the Indians on the Isle of Ill Fortune â€Å"tried to make us into medicine men†, and eventually â€Å"under such pressure we had to [perform a healing]† (de Vaca 49). Cabeza de Vaca says they performed all healings â€Å"by making the sign of the cross over them and blowing on [the person] and reciting a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria; and then [they] prayed as best [they] could to God Our Lord to give them health and inspire them to give us good treatment†¦ [and] they were well and healthy† (Cabeza de Vaca 49-50). These healings would ultimately revolutionize how the Europeans conducted business and interacted with the Indians because it made them medicine men. This occupation gave them access to food and they gained respect from the Indians, but they interpreted it as a â€Å"test to which God had subjected them to before revealing the true purpose of their existence† (Resendez 157). For Cabeza de Vaca, this was merely the beginning of a lifelong devotion to the Lord, Spain, and himself. As he began to question his existence, he realized that it was the will of God for Dorantes, Castillo, Estebanico, and himself to become the â€Å"intermediaries between God and the natives because they had a special connection† (Resendez 162). As more healings take place and their fame grows, the medicine men become directly connected to the Indians, and as a result they are called â€Å"children of the sun† (Resendez 167). Since they were being treated like demi-gods, they were paraded across Mexico with bands of thousands of Indians all shouting their praise for these healers. The Indians created a means of passing off the healers through a series of succession from one group to another. Throughout this process, the healers influenced the lives of the Indians by introducing Christianity and creating a relationship that could eventually lead to a more humane colonialism. The Christians were already planning this humane colonialism for â€Å"the benefit of Spain’s imperial power†; Cabeza de Vaca had even considered claiming Narvaez’s adelantamiento in which he could apply his revolutionary idea (Resendez 193). The basic scheme would be to set up a clear means of communication between the Christians and the natives. They would work out an agreement of peace between the two. The Christians would begin to colonize the New World with the establishment of churches; in which they would convert local Indians to Catholicism. Eventually they would set up trade routes would be established between towns connecting surrounding villages. All of the products would be commercialized and put on fleets bound for Spain and then the cargo would be redistributed throughout Europe. In return, Spain would return the favor bringing European goods back and essentially Europeanizing the New World. This system would have made Spain a superpower, and the images of gold would resonate throughout the hearts and minds of every Spaniard and equal subject within their mighty empire. One can see that this was merely a fantasy because of individuals like Nuno Beltran de Guzman, who drained the country of its natural resources and people. The selfishness and greed of most 16th century conquistadores is appalling, but as long as the crown got its share of the wealth, these men were supported with the things they needed to destroy a tradition that was far greater than themselves. Cabeza de Vaca’s attempt to become adelantamiento of Florida was an epic fail, but he managed to secure one in present day Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay (Resendez 208-210). He used the lessons he learned in the Americas in and attempt at a humane colonialism of these lands, but he quickly found out that his presence and ideas were not welcome in that part of the world. Resendez’s assessment of Cabeza de Vaca’s commitment to a kinder, gentler conquest is correct in the fact that it â€Å"could have transformed the brutal process† but Europeans didn’t care how they â€Å"overtook the land and riches of America† (Resendez xix-xx). The Spaniards did not want to understand the ways of these magnificent people’s culture or traditions. Religion was used by most Spaniards as an excuse or justification for their wrong doing, and they used their curiosity to further their greed. All the Spaniards cared about was money, and they exploited the Indians to get exactly what they wanted. Work Cited Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Castaways: The Narrative of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, edited by Enrique Pupo-Walker, translated by Frances M. Lopez-Morillas (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) Resendez, Andres. A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca. New York: Basic Books, 2007.