Barefoot Conquistador: Cabeza de Vaca and the Struggle for Native American Rights

Though Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's expedition to the New World in 1527 met with disaster after disaster, he ended up spending seven years among Native Americans, first as a prisoner, later as a trader and healer. While most Spanish explorers treated native peoples with cruelty, Cabeza de Vaca felt that they should be met with kindness.