called “Isle de Malhado” which means island of bad luck, where he was enslaved for 2 years! Fortunately, Cabeza was able to escape, and he was determined to make it to present day Mexico City. So, how did he survive the adventure through the Coast of Texas and all of New Spain? It was hard for him to survive, but I think it was a combination of: him being a doctor/surgeon, him being able to learn other languages, and his wilderness skills.
One of the things that I think helped Cabeza survive was him being a doctor. One example of this is when he was staying with a tribe, and they had an arrow stuck in their arm, and Cabeza said he could heal him, and all he had was a knife. Everybody didn’t believe him, but he performed a surgery on the guy and he successfully got the arrow out of the guy and he lived (Doc C). My argument is that the surgery helped Cabeza by giving him confidence and a good reputation around all the Native American tribes on the coast of New Spain and Tejas.
Another thing that helped him survive is that he was a fast learner.
Cabeza learned 4 languages, including Charuccos, plus sign language from 1530-1535. He also learned more languages with every new tribe he met. And, he was trusted more if he could speak the tribe’s language (Doc B). This helped Cabeza by allowing him to speak to and negotiate with other tribes, and to gain trust. Also, he could write translations back to Spain for new explorers to read and learn the languages.
The final thing that I think helped Cabeza survive was his wilderness skills. He lit a branch in the dying flames to keep warm. Each night, he got in a hole that he made as a shelter. Also, he knew what to eat and what not to eat (Doc B). If Cabeza didn’t know how to make a shelter, he probably would have died of being too cold, too exposed to the elements, and died of food poisoning.
The three most significant things that helped Cabeza de Vaca survive were: Wilderness skills, him being a surgeon/doctor, and being able to learn other languages. Sure, he had some hard times, but he still achieved his goal, (to get to New Spain alive) and that’s all that
matters.