The real conflict in leadership began when Narvaez wanted to separate the ships
from the crew. Narvaez wanted to drop some of the crew off and send some of the ships out to find a harbor. De Vaca tried to talk him into not calling that order. Narvaez declined. From this fragment of the journey, part of the crew was abolished after a storm; sending them to what is presently Tampa Bay. De Vaca was accused of murdering slaves and murdering his crew members. De Vaca is not guilty because “his crew” wasn’t even his crew. Additionally, the only periods he engaged with Native Americans/slaves were a) when he was taken captive by Native Americans and b) got a ride home from Spaniards who captured Native Americans as slaves.
De Vaca did not commit these crimes. De Vaca was the Treasurer and High Sheriff of the expedition. King Charles of Spain appointed Panfilo Narvaez to be the captain of the expedition. Both in theory and in practice, he did not get to make the decisions of the expedition. So the guilt would not fall on him. Also, De Vaca needed a ride home from some Spaniards that had captured some Native Americans to be his slaves. He didn’t assist or know that until after he got on the ship. It was his only way home. He only went nearby slaves to get a ride home. De Vaca is not guilty of 1st degree murder.