Social and Economic History of the Southwest I (1500-1848)

Reading Questions for Weeks 1 & 2:

1. How convincing do you find Cabeza de Vaca's description of his interactions with the Native American groups that he met during his journey back to New Spain? How does he establish his authority in his story? Are there areas of his description which seem fabricated or exaggerated?
   
   
2. From his description, can you compare the social and cultural traits of some of the different groups of Native American peoples that Cabeza de Vaca and his companions meet during their journey?
   
   
3. What details or attributes do you think attracted so much attention to this journal when it became known in Mexico after Cabeza de Vaca's return in 1537?
   
   
4. Identify passages or events described in the text which seem to yield information about how the Native Americans viewed or thought about their Spanish captives. How did Native Americans fit these European interlopers into their own world?