Chapter 4, Student Web Activities, Texas and Texans, Glencoe, 2003

Chapter 4: Early Explorers
"Cabeza de Vaca"

Introduction
Could you walk 2,000 miles across unknown territory? Could you adapt to life amongst people who do not speak your language? Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer, did all this and more. In Chapter 4, you read that Cabeza de Vaca's journey remains one of the most amazing feats of exploration in the Americas. In this activity, you will read about his journey and see where it took him.

Destination Title: Conquistadors

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Directions
Start at the Conquistadors Web site.

Scroll down and click on Cabeza de Vaca.
Then click on the photograph of Cabeza de Vaca.
Analyze the map that appears.
Then click on each "page" of Michael Wood's diary and read the information presented.

Use what you have learned to answer the following questions.

1. By looking at the map, which shows the route of Cabeza de Vaca's journey, determine how long it took Cabeza de Vaca to get from Galveston Island to Mexico City.

2. According to Cabeza de Vaca, how did the Native Americans react upon seeing the condition of the shipwrecked survivors?

3. Sequence the following events of Cabeza de Vaca's journey in chronological order:

The four survivors journey 2,000 miles before meeting, by chance, Spanish slave-traders.
Cabeza de Vaca learns that three other survivors live down the coast.
Cabeza de Vaca and his men reach Mexico City, where they share their tale with Hernán Cortés.
Cabeza de Vaca and a handful of survivors arrive at the "Isle of Misfortune."

4. What was the reaction of the slave-traders upon seeing Cabeza de Vaca?

5. Now imagine that you are an explorer about to embark upon a journey to an unknown land. In the space below, write a "survival guide" of items you should learn about before you go—such as edible plant life—or items you should take with you on your journey. Use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation when writing your survival guide.