Choose one of two books about the disastrous Spanish expedition to conquer Florida in the 1530s—and the extraordinary journey of the four survivors through the disintegrating world of Native America.
We will be meeting to discuss the disastrous Spanish expedition to conquer Florida in the 1530s—and then the extraordinary eight-year journey of the only four survivors of that expedition across the Gulf of Mexico and through the Native American world of what is today Texas and the Southwest, all the way to the Pacific. There they are “rescued” by a band of brutal Spanish slavers. Here are two books on the subject, both very well reviewed--and both available in ample quantities from EPL and partner libraries: choose one or read both!
A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca by Andrés Reséndez (Basic Books, 2009)
Brutal Journey: The Epic Story of the First Crossing of North America by Paul Schneider (Holt, 2006)
You may also choose to read Cabeza de Vaca's own account (in English translation); Laila Lalami's 2014 novel, The Moor's Account, a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, or the 1991 movie from Mexico, Cabeza de Vaca.
Our discussion will focus on what these varying accounts contribute to a rounded understanding of this journey and ordeal. We also want to compare notes on what we learn about the Native American cultures we meet along the way.
REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE LINK INFORMATION AS THE DATE FOR OUR MEETING APPROACHES.
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