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Brutal Journey: The Epic Story of the First Crossing of North America
A gripping account of four explorers adrift in an unknown land and the harrowing journey that took them across North America 270 years before Lewis and Clark
One part Heart of Darkness , one part Lewis and Clark, Brutal Journey tells the story of a group of explorers who came to the new world on the heels of Cortés; bound for glory, only four of four hundred would survive. Eight years and some five thousand miles later, three Spaniards and a black Moroccan wandered out of the wilderness to the north of the Rio Grande and into Cortes’ gold-drenched Mexico.
The four survivors of the Narváez expedition brought nothing back from their sojourn other than their story, but what a tale it was. They had become killers and cannibals, torturers and torture victims, slavers and enslaved. They became faith healers, arms dealers, canoe thieves, spider eaters, and finally, when there were only the four of them left in the high Texas desert, they became itinerate messiahs. They became, in other words, whatever it took to stay alive long enough to inch their way toward Mexico, the only place where they were certain they would find an outpost of the Spanish empire.
The journey of the Cabeza De Vaca expedition is one of the greatest survival epics in the history of American exploration. By drawing on the accounts of the first explorers and the most recent findings of archaeologists and academic historians, Paul Schneider offers a thrilling and authentic narrative to replace a legend of North American exploration.
One part Heart of Darkness , one part Lewis and Clark, Brutal Journey tells the story of a group of explorers who came to the new world on the heels of Cortés; bound for glory, only four of four hundred would survive. Eight years and some five thousand miles later, three Spaniards and a black Moroccan wandered out of the wilderness to the north of the Rio Grande and into Cortes’ gold-drenched Mexico.
The four survivors of the Narváez expedition brought nothing back from their sojourn other than their story, but what a tale it was. They had become killers and cannibals, torturers and torture victims, slavers and enslaved. They became faith healers, arms dealers, canoe thieves, spider eaters, and finally, when there were only the four of them left in the high Texas desert, they became itinerate messiahs. They became, in other words, whatever it took to stay alive long enough to inch their way toward Mexico, the only place where they were certain they would find an outpost of the Spanish empire.
The journey of the Cabeza De Vaca expedition is one of the greatest survival epics in the history of American exploration. By drawing on the accounts of the first explorers and the most recent findings of archaeologists and academic historians, Paul Schneider offers a thrilling and authentic narrative to replace a legend of North American exploration.
366 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2000
61 people are currently reading
1551 people want to read
About the author
Paul Schneider
5 books28 followersPaul is currently the editor of Martha's Vineyard Magazine, the leading general interest magazine about the storied island off the coast of Massachusetts.
He is also the author of five books of non-fiction, most recently Old Man River: The Mississippi in North American History. (Henry Holt, 2013). The book was well reviewed in the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere.
Previous books include:
Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend, which the LA Times called "extraordinarily immediate, not to mention lurid," and Oprah Magazine said "ignites like a combustion engine, driving the narrative toward its gruesome climax."
Brutal Journey: Cabeza de Vaca and the Epic First Crossing of North America, which Candice Millard, writing for the the New York Times, called "a fast-paced, moving story, one that is difficult to believe and impossible to forget."
The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, which Paul Theroux, writing for the New York Times, called "a happy blend of the dramatic, the colorful, the outlandish and the monumental."
The Adirondacks: A History of America's First Wilderness, which was a New York Times notable book of the year.
He is also the author of five books of non-fiction, most recently Old Man River: The Mississippi in North American History. (Henry Holt, 2013). The book was well reviewed in the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere.
Previous books include:
Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend, which the LA Times called "extraordinarily immediate, not to mention lurid," and Oprah Magazine said "ignites like a combustion engine, driving the narrative toward its gruesome climax."
Brutal Journey: Cabeza de Vaca and the Epic First Crossing of North America, which Candice Millard, writing for the the New York Times, called "a fast-paced, moving story, one that is difficult to believe and impossible to forget."
The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, which Paul Theroux, writing for the New York Times, called "a happy blend of the dramatic, the colorful, the outlandish and the monumental."
The Adirondacks: A History of America's First Wilderness, which was a New York Times notable book of the year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
February 15, 2024
Brutal Journey retells one of the most incredible events of the early European exploration of the Americas. It’s the tale of the spectacular failure of Panfilo de Narvaez in his attempt to conquer the Gulf Coast of North America, and the ordeal of the four men (out of an original four hundred) who survived. Though the story had already been told in a first hand account by survivor Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in his Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America, there was ample reason for Schneider to revisit and expand upon this fascinating story.
Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior relates the failure of the Narvaez expedition, the fate of the nearly 400 men who perished, and the incredible experiences of the four who survived to walk out of the North American wilderness eight years later. It is as thrilling a non fiction tale as you will find, but has certain drawbacks. Cabeza de Vaca was not primarily a writer, and his narrative was written as a report to impress his king, not for a wide audience. Though it covers eight years, it is a slim volume - less than two hundred pages, and it offers little background information, plus often skips details and scrambles chronology.
Paul Schneider addresses all of these shortcomings in Brutal Journey. While using Adventures in the Unknown Interior as his starting point, he fills it out both with background and details. He tells the history of Panfilo de Narvaez's earlier exploits in Mexico and Cuba, and gives insight into his personality and character. This not only helps to explain his failed expedition to Florida and the Gulf Coast and the personality conflict that he had with Cabeza de Vaca, but also sheds some light on the way in which Spain went about conquering and colonizing in America. Schneider also draws on details that were not available to Cabeza de Vaca, using both the modern archeological record and the accounts of the de Soto expedition to fill in details about Native tribes and actual locations of the tale's action. He attempts to sort out the chronology where de Vaca scrambled it. Finally, and most importantly, Schneider is a better writer than was Cabeza de Vaca, and his excellent prose helps to make this amazing story more accessible to modern readers.
Whether or not you have already read Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior you should find Schneider's Brutal Journey an outstanding reading experience. If you’ve already read de Vaca's narrative, it will expand your knowledge and understanding of its events. If not, it’s an excellent introduction to this fascinating chapter of early American history.
Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior relates the failure of the Narvaez expedition, the fate of the nearly 400 men who perished, and the incredible experiences of the four who survived to walk out of the North American wilderness eight years later. It is as thrilling a non fiction tale as you will find, but has certain drawbacks. Cabeza de Vaca was not primarily a writer, and his narrative was written as a report to impress his king, not for a wide audience. Though it covers eight years, it is a slim volume - less than two hundred pages, and it offers little background information, plus often skips details and scrambles chronology.
Paul Schneider addresses all of these shortcomings in Brutal Journey. While using Adventures in the Unknown Interior as his starting point, he fills it out both with background and details. He tells the history of Panfilo de Narvaez's earlier exploits in Mexico and Cuba, and gives insight into his personality and character. This not only helps to explain his failed expedition to Florida and the Gulf Coast and the personality conflict that he had with Cabeza de Vaca, but also sheds some light on the way in which Spain went about conquering and colonizing in America. Schneider also draws on details that were not available to Cabeza de Vaca, using both the modern archeological record and the accounts of the de Soto expedition to fill in details about Native tribes and actual locations of the tale's action. He attempts to sort out the chronology where de Vaca scrambled it. Finally, and most importantly, Schneider is a better writer than was Cabeza de Vaca, and his excellent prose helps to make this amazing story more accessible to modern readers.
Whether or not you have already read Cabeza de Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior you should find Schneider's Brutal Journey an outstanding reading experience. If you’ve already read de Vaca's narrative, it will expand your knowledge and understanding of its events. If not, it’s an excellent introduction to this fascinating chapter of early American history.
January 11, 2018
It was hard to get past this quote from page 115: "What had worked in Mexico for Cortez would work again in La Florida for Narvaez, and the sooner the ships were gone the sooner he and his army would, like Hannibal, be across the Rubicon." Cringe-worthy. The writing was pretty average, but that took the cake, or the pie, or...whatever.
December 2, 2012
I loved this book. I loved it so much that I Google-stalked the author, Paul Schneider, only to find that that is also the name of the actor that played Mark Brandanowicz on Parks and Recreation. For a minute I thought they might be the same person, but alas, they were not.
The point here is that this Paul Schneider is an extremely gifted writer who can make history leap off the page. He is enthralled by Cabeza de Vaca and his enthusiasm is catching. I'd read novels by this guy. The lengthy bibliography also shows that the book was exceedingly well researched, and, if I haven't said it enough, readable to boot.
The point here is that this Paul Schneider is an extremely gifted writer who can make history leap off the page. He is enthralled by Cabeza de Vaca and his enthusiasm is catching. I'd read novels by this guy. The lengthy bibliography also shows that the book was exceedingly well researched, and, if I haven't said it enough, readable to boot.
June 16, 2008
Brutal Journey is an outstanding narrative. Perhaps I was spellbound because I grew up just a few miles from where the Narvaez expedition landed in the Tampa Bay area. It's a darned good tale, told well. More than 400 expedition members began the quest for wealth in the New World. Four survived, after seven years of wandering. This is the story of those four, gleaned from records and diaries they wrote. It is a saga of greed, bravery and extreme stupidity on the part of their leader. "C'mon, let's put on our chain mail and slog through the Florida swamp. Riches and fame lie ahead." I couldn't put this book down. One small whine: the map does not show several of the locations described in the book. A better map would have been helpful. If you love reading about early adventurers in the New World and their inter-relations with Native Americans, this book would make very good summer reading.
April 21, 2011
I couldn't, as hard as I tried, engage with this story. The focal point is the conquistadores, which is not a bad subject, if only the author had been more authoritative. There is more detail here than is usually given in the textbooks, but to practically no avail; the story is so uncompelling that the details drift by without effect. Tedium is such an intangible failing that it sounds like a copout to slap it on a book without critiquing the rest of it, but here I must. The information was solid, the subject was viable; the book just fails abjectly to arouse any shred of sentiment out of it. These are dusty characters doing predictable things in a far-off time that isn't made relevant. Boring.
March 27, 2016
In 1527 the Narváez expedition, a group of Spanish conquistadors, five ships and some 600 men (and a few women), set off on a voyage to the New World, with the intention of replicating Hernán Cortés' success in conquering the Aztec Empire, and gaining territory and riches for the Spanish king and Christian souls for their God. After losing some 150 men to desertion on the island of Hispaniola and losing several ships and their passengers to a hurricane, the remaining ships and men landed on the coast of Florida, claiming the land as a possession of the Spanish Empire, intent to seek out gold and subdue the natives.
Nine years and some two thousand kilometres later, Cabeza de Vaca, the treasurer of the expedition, and three other survivors, one a Moroccan slave named Esteban, stumbled into a party of Spanish slave-catchers in northwest Mexico and finally made it back to Mexico City and then home to Spain. Their journey, across the states of modern Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, included thirst and starvation, near-mutiny, makeshift rafts, attacks by Native Americans, captivity and enslavement, daring escapes, and last-quarter careers as revered healers and mystics. Only two accounts of their experiences survive - one written by Cabeza de Vaca himself and another a joint testimony by the survivors.
This book, then, is heavily based on very slender sources. It's an epic journey, and an enthralling read, but you have to take it with a heavy dose of scepticism. There's a lot of conjecture in this history, a lot of filling in the gaps of De Vaca's narrative with what was likely, probable, known from other sources or similar to other conquistador expeditions. The truth is that neither account of the expedition is as complete or detailed as historians would like, and academic debate on the peoples they encountered, the places they visited, the fate of certain individuals and the route they took, began almost as soon as the survivors returned to Spain and has continued to the present day.
It's also hard to feel much sympathy for the men of the expedition, despite having to constantly remind oneself that you cannot judge past generations by the standards of today. But these men set out with the express intention of conquest and plunder, enslavement and exploitation, with ambition and greed their primary motivations. The expedition was badly-planned and poorly-led, the men were poorly chosen, lacking in most cases necessary skills, and were fatally divided from the start. One can't help feel, reading this book, that the expedition was doomed from the start. It's the tragedy of the native peoples of North America that this expedition was the exception rather than the rule - followed as it was in later years by the more brutal and more successful exploits of Coronado and de Soto.
As an aside, the story of Esteban, the Moorish slave, who was one of the four survivors was the subject of a 2014 novel, The Moor's Account, written by Laila Lalami and a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize - definitely a book going on my to-read list now I've read the history behind the fiction.
Nine years and some two thousand kilometres later, Cabeza de Vaca, the treasurer of the expedition, and three other survivors, one a Moroccan slave named Esteban, stumbled into a party of Spanish slave-catchers in northwest Mexico and finally made it back to Mexico City and then home to Spain. Their journey, across the states of modern Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, included thirst and starvation, near-mutiny, makeshift rafts, attacks by Native Americans, captivity and enslavement, daring escapes, and last-quarter careers as revered healers and mystics. Only two accounts of their experiences survive - one written by Cabeza de Vaca himself and another a joint testimony by the survivors.
This book, then, is heavily based on very slender sources. It's an epic journey, and an enthralling read, but you have to take it with a heavy dose of scepticism. There's a lot of conjecture in this history, a lot of filling in the gaps of De Vaca's narrative with what was likely, probable, known from other sources or similar to other conquistador expeditions. The truth is that neither account of the expedition is as complete or detailed as historians would like, and academic debate on the peoples they encountered, the places they visited, the fate of certain individuals and the route they took, began almost as soon as the survivors returned to Spain and has continued to the present day.
It's also hard to feel much sympathy for the men of the expedition, despite having to constantly remind oneself that you cannot judge past generations by the standards of today. But these men set out with the express intention of conquest and plunder, enslavement and exploitation, with ambition and greed their primary motivations. The expedition was badly-planned and poorly-led, the men were poorly chosen, lacking in most cases necessary skills, and were fatally divided from the start. One can't help feel, reading this book, that the expedition was doomed from the start. It's the tragedy of the native peoples of North America that this expedition was the exception rather than the rule - followed as it was in later years by the more brutal and more successful exploits of Coronado and de Soto.
As an aside, the story of Esteban, the Moorish slave, who was one of the four survivors was the subject of a 2014 novel, The Moor's Account, written by Laila Lalami and a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize - definitely a book going on my to-read list now I've read the history behind the fiction.
June 8, 2015
Schneider's account of this indeed-brutal journey describes the misadventures of a group of erstwhile Spanish conquerors who were licensed by the King to explore and colonize the land North of Cortes's Mexico. The effort ended in failure when the four survivors of the original 300-plus who landed on the west coast of Florida in 1528 staggered out of the wilderness on the Pacific coast of Northwestern Mexico nine years later!
The story is inevitably episodic, as it relies on the only two first-hand accounts of the journey, one of which was written years later with royal patronage in mind, the other available only in a paraphrase in a contemporary history, as the original has been lost to history. Schneider does a nice job of calling on archeological studies and secondary sources to plug as many of the gaps as possible.
The story is inevitably episodic, as it relies on the only two first-hand accounts of the journey, one of which was written years later with royal patronage in mind, the other available only in a paraphrase in a contemporary history, as the original has been lost to history. Schneider does a nice job of calling on archeological studies and secondary sources to plug as many of the gaps as possible.
April 23, 2019
Not bad. Not very detailed which should be expected considering the limited sources and and several centuries in time elapsed. Still a decent read. I don't personally consider this the "first crossing of North America. They landed in Florida, then took boats to Texas, then walked through what would become New Mexico and Arizona before ending up in Mexico. Good read for anyone that is a exploration/history buff.
June 22, 2007
Back when men were men...wow, these guys endured more than could be possibly imagined. In addition to starvation, captured Europeans might find themselves the victims of having their beards pulled out hair by hair by some of the indian tribes as they had never seen bearded men before. Truely an apropos title.
December 28, 2018
My first exposure ... have read since parts of several more books about the journey ... This remains the one I'd recommend. Hard to comprehend how soul changing those years could have been.
July 1, 2020
THIS IS A MUST for any American history class reading. It's really great that the author wove together all the perspectives (Spanish, Natives, and the Slaves) throughout the book. The great thing about this book is the irony in the end, instead of the conquistador's being the conquerors, they became subservient and conquered in the end (and of course, were starved, massacred from the Natives, lost, drowned from hurricanes, swamps, sick from plagues, etc.) I won't give away how many survivors make it in the end, but the journey lasted 8 years!! The new world was no heaven, it was hell! There is excellent information about the hundreds of Native American tribes that the Spanish came across. A brutal journey is an understatement! It was harrowing, violent, and plain awful, but this NEEDS TO BE A MOVIE!
February 14, 2021
For HON 297
Insane recounting of the first known crossing of North America by Europeans - plagued by terrible decisions and unfortunate weather. Of a company over 600 strong, only 4 survived.
Colonizers are stupid.
Insane recounting of the first known crossing of North America by Europeans - plagued by terrible decisions and unfortunate weather. Of a company over 600 strong, only 4 survived.
Colonizers are stupid.
October 3, 2019
Excellent. Slow start and huge finish, great interdisciplinary told story. Learned so much about a period I was not very familiar with...will try more of his works.
April 4, 2018
Strangers in a Strange Land:
With swords, grit and determination, the Conquistadors sought fame and fortune in the "New World". Their primary goals were land, to expand Spain's holdings, and gold, for themselves and their King. Any native people they encountered were to be conquered, enslaved and converted to a proper religion--often all three at once. In the early 16th Century one of these Spanish "explorers", Panfilo de Narvaez, was in search of an opportunity, instead what he got was a one way ticket to Hell. Author Paul Schneider's thrilling book, "Brutal Journey", follows Narvaez's odyssey, from Tampa Bay, along the Gulf Coast of North America, overland in northern Mexico and all the way to the Vermilion Sea. The opening chapters provide vital background material for Narvaez's efforts to explore this new land, his conflicts with Cortes which led to his violent injury and several years in prison. His eventual release and rise back to power would lead him on a new mission to this unexplored country and to new dreams of glory and riches. Sailing from Spain with an army of volunteers and, his 2nd in command, the Royal appointed treasurer Cabeza de Vaca.* Narvaez's fleet would make stops in Hispaniola and Cuba before sailing north into the unknown. But once they set foot on "La Florida", near Tampa Bay their plans began to unravel. The expedition would separate into two factions: by sea and by land. The ships would try to find the entrance to Tampa Bay but, failing that, they would sail north and rejoin Narvaez's party near the Saw Grass Shallows of the Florida Panhandle. Meanwhile, Narvaez and his "Army", would face hostile natives, shortages of food and water and an unforgiving landscape of arid woodlands and coastal marshes. This is a well written, engrossing read. The narrative moves along swiftly and is, by turn, shocking and "brutal" but ever interesting. Schneider's research was extensive, relying heavily on Cabeza de Vaca's memoirs of the expedition--written several years after the fact. He also used the statements of other "surviving" members but they were not as extensive as Cabeza de Vaca's. As there was no journal written by Narvaez during his invasion of North America the author turned to the logs and journals of other Conquistadors of this time period so he could extrapolate some of the day to day activities and reactions of the explorers. Schneider's research was aided by historians and librarians around the country who read over and critiqued his "work in progress". Schneider provides an extensive bibliography that may lead you to other writers and books on the subject. All in all I really enjoyed reading "Brutal Journey"' it took me to exotic times and places and shed new light on the Conquistadors and on Spain's quest to possess all the lands and riches that this New Continent had to offer.
* See also "A Land So Strange" by Andres Resendez.
Last Ranger
With swords, grit and determination, the Conquistadors sought fame and fortune in the "New World". Their primary goals were land, to expand Spain's holdings, and gold, for themselves and their King. Any native people they encountered were to be conquered, enslaved and converted to a proper religion--often all three at once. In the early 16th Century one of these Spanish "explorers", Panfilo de Narvaez, was in search of an opportunity, instead what he got was a one way ticket to Hell. Author Paul Schneider's thrilling book, "Brutal Journey", follows Narvaez's odyssey, from Tampa Bay, along the Gulf Coast of North America, overland in northern Mexico and all the way to the Vermilion Sea. The opening chapters provide vital background material for Narvaez's efforts to explore this new land, his conflicts with Cortes which led to his violent injury and several years in prison. His eventual release and rise back to power would lead him on a new mission to this unexplored country and to new dreams of glory and riches. Sailing from Spain with an army of volunteers and, his 2nd in command, the Royal appointed treasurer Cabeza de Vaca.* Narvaez's fleet would make stops in Hispaniola and Cuba before sailing north into the unknown. But once they set foot on "La Florida", near Tampa Bay their plans began to unravel. The expedition would separate into two factions: by sea and by land. The ships would try to find the entrance to Tampa Bay but, failing that, they would sail north and rejoin Narvaez's party near the Saw Grass Shallows of the Florida Panhandle. Meanwhile, Narvaez and his "Army", would face hostile natives, shortages of food and water and an unforgiving landscape of arid woodlands and coastal marshes. This is a well written, engrossing read. The narrative moves along swiftly and is, by turn, shocking and "brutal" but ever interesting. Schneider's research was extensive, relying heavily on Cabeza de Vaca's memoirs of the expedition--written several years after the fact. He also used the statements of other "surviving" members but they were not as extensive as Cabeza de Vaca's. As there was no journal written by Narvaez during his invasion of North America the author turned to the logs and journals of other Conquistadors of this time period so he could extrapolate some of the day to day activities and reactions of the explorers. Schneider's research was aided by historians and librarians around the country who read over and critiqued his "work in progress". Schneider provides an extensive bibliography that may lead you to other writers and books on the subject. All in all I really enjoyed reading "Brutal Journey"' it took me to exotic times and places and shed new light on the Conquistadors and on Spain's quest to possess all the lands and riches that this New Continent had to offer.
* See also "A Land So Strange" by Andres Resendez.
Last Ranger
November 19, 2019
Paul Schneider delivers to us an updated and mind-blowing adventure of contact period North America. The Narváez Expedition set sail for La Florida in 1527 and it completely failed. It did, however, produce a final tally of four survivors after an agonizing period of retreat and battle. Starting out in La Florida among the various polities and towns there, they trek across North America, sail across the mouth of the Mighty Mississippi in poorly-made rafts, shipwreck into coastal Texas, spend years as slaves for various nations of people, and then escape and walk down into the mountains of Mexico. Eventually, they meet up with their fellow Spaniards in the recently conquered Aztec Empire. The journey lasted 8 years!
The four survivors:
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca - Born into a family of minor nobility, Cabeza e Vaca signed on to the Narváez Expedition as a representative of the Spanish crown.
Alonso del Castillo Maldonado - a possible Jewish converso who mortgaged part of his estate to pay for expedition supplies.
Andrés Dorantes de Carranza - A minor caballero or hildalgo (read: bored privateer soldier) who signed on with his two cousins.
And Estevanico or Esteban - A slave from Morocco who spoke multiple languages and who was crucial at many steps of the journey back to the Spanish empire.
Nominally led by Cabeza de Vaca, these four men encountered many cultures both strange and unusual to European eyes. They learned many languages, were kept as slaves, became spiritual healers, and walked from Florida into the heart of Mexico on dumb luck and persistence. Schneider pulls from the two surviving sources, along with research in other areas like archaeology and written sources from other time periods and regions, to provide as whole of an account as possible.
The most crucial takeaway, apart from sheer scale of the journey and the many new and different people encountered (some of which have been completely lost to history since this time), is the possible transformation of Cabeza de Vaca and his companions from eager agents of empire to critical Spaniards concerned with the empire's treatment of New World peoples.
And perhaps it is Esteban who gets the most dramatic story arc, despite being a background character in the two narratives. Esteban was re-enslaved upon his return to the Spanish and became valuable as a guide for future expeditions into North America. On one such expedition, he and his advance scouting group of Sonoron people were reportedly killed in modern day New Mexico. But, we cannot be sure. Perhaps Esteban faked his death to escape back into the world of Native America, a world far from the chains of European slavery. One rumor has it that Esteban lived among the A:shiwi long enough to be immortalized as a Kachina doll. It may not be an accurate claim, but it sure fires the imagination.
This is a wild adventure, y'all. Read it.
The four survivors:
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca - Born into a family of minor nobility, Cabeza e Vaca signed on to the Narváez Expedition as a representative of the Spanish crown.
Alonso del Castillo Maldonado - a possible Jewish converso who mortgaged part of his estate to pay for expedition supplies.
Andrés Dorantes de Carranza - A minor caballero or hildalgo (read: bored privateer soldier) who signed on with his two cousins.
And Estevanico or Esteban - A slave from Morocco who spoke multiple languages and who was crucial at many steps of the journey back to the Spanish empire.
Nominally led by Cabeza de Vaca, these four men encountered many cultures both strange and unusual to European eyes. They learned many languages, were kept as slaves, became spiritual healers, and walked from Florida into the heart of Mexico on dumb luck and persistence. Schneider pulls from the two surviving sources, along with research in other areas like archaeology and written sources from other time periods and regions, to provide as whole of an account as possible.
The most crucial takeaway, apart from sheer scale of the journey and the many new and different people encountered (some of which have been completely lost to history since this time), is the possible transformation of Cabeza de Vaca and his companions from eager agents of empire to critical Spaniards concerned with the empire's treatment of New World peoples.
And perhaps it is Esteban who gets the most dramatic story arc, despite being a background character in the two narratives. Esteban was re-enslaved upon his return to the Spanish and became valuable as a guide for future expeditions into North America. On one such expedition, he and his advance scouting group of Sonoron people were reportedly killed in modern day New Mexico. But, we cannot be sure. Perhaps Esteban faked his death to escape back into the world of Native America, a world far from the chains of European slavery. One rumor has it that Esteban lived among the A:shiwi long enough to be immortalized as a Kachina doll. It may not be an accurate claim, but it sure fires the imagination.
This is a wild adventure, y'all. Read it.
May 4, 2009
"Brutal Journey" is an adventure narrative that reads like magic realism. As written on the dustjacket, it is "one part 'Heart of Darkness,' one part Lewis and Clark"--a tale colored by mens' darkest ambitions and actions, but also lightened with frequent paradoxical moments of hopefulness and rare beauty.
Drawn primarily from two sources, the personal memoirs of Cabeza de Vaca published in 1542, and a copy of the expedition report written by the expedition survivors, "Brutal Journey" relates in a relatively brief 318 pages the story of the famous (at least among historians) Narvaez expedition, which began in May of 1528 with 400 conquistadors hunting gold along the western coast of Florida and ended 8 years later with four survivors completing what was essentially the first transcontinental crossing of North America (across what is now the southern United States and northern Mexico). What makes this story all the more compelling is that those four survivors not only braved the elements every step of the way, they fought, befriended, lived with or were enslaved by one hostile indian tribe after another as they slowly made their way west toward Spanish outposts in Mexico.
Although Cabeza de Vaca's writings have been frequently published and translated (a huge 3-volume annotated translation was published by U of Nebraska in 1999), they are largely unknown and unread except by academics. And yet, not only does the expedition constitute a watershed moment in pre-US history, the epic journey of its survivors provides for a story almost unrivaled in its account of brutal hardships and fantastical contradictions. The four survivors alternatively play the roles of soldiers and slaves, sailors and nomads, faith healers and anti-colonial activists.
Fascinating from beginning to end, the book is wonderfully written. And unlike most non-fiction writers, Paul Schneider has also done an excellent job of documenting the story--the book contains helpful notes, a top-notch bibliography and a detailed index. In short, it's a fine example of historical scholarship that reads like adventure fiction. If you didn't know what you were reading was true, you'd never believe it--but it's all so compelling you wouldn't be able to stop reading regardless.
Drawn primarily from two sources, the personal memoirs of Cabeza de Vaca published in 1542, and a copy of the expedition report written by the expedition survivors, "Brutal Journey" relates in a relatively brief 318 pages the story of the famous (at least among historians) Narvaez expedition, which began in May of 1528 with 400 conquistadors hunting gold along the western coast of Florida and ended 8 years later with four survivors completing what was essentially the first transcontinental crossing of North America (across what is now the southern United States and northern Mexico). What makes this story all the more compelling is that those four survivors not only braved the elements every step of the way, they fought, befriended, lived with or were enslaved by one hostile indian tribe after another as they slowly made their way west toward Spanish outposts in Mexico.
Although Cabeza de Vaca's writings have been frequently published and translated (a huge 3-volume annotated translation was published by U of Nebraska in 1999), they are largely unknown and unread except by academics. And yet, not only does the expedition constitute a watershed moment in pre-US history, the epic journey of its survivors provides for a story almost unrivaled in its account of brutal hardships and fantastical contradictions. The four survivors alternatively play the roles of soldiers and slaves, sailors and nomads, faith healers and anti-colonial activists.
Fascinating from beginning to end, the book is wonderfully written. And unlike most non-fiction writers, Paul Schneider has also done an excellent job of documenting the story--the book contains helpful notes, a top-notch bibliography and a detailed index. In short, it's a fine example of historical scholarship that reads like adventure fiction. If you didn't know what you were reading was true, you'd never believe it--but it's all so compelling you wouldn't be able to stop reading regardless.
July 29, 2012
Aside from the first few chapters, Brutal Journey by Paul Schneider was a compelling narrative that occasionally reminded me of reading science fiction, made fantastically remarkable because it is an actual account of the Spanish “conquistadors” adventure exploring from present day Florida to the Pacific coast between 1528 and 1536. Encounters with long lost tribe after tribe of “Indians” with wildly different and bizarre social customs affecting the survival of those few who did survive were told with effective narrative drive and a respect for the unknowable that made for a compelling read.
However, it took Schneider about 60 pages of a historians fight against research ADD to get to the truly remarkable narrative. In those pages, it seems like Schneider probably loses many would be readers. He cannot seem to focus on the main characters long enough to establish a story before he digresses into side stories about other historical figures who are, regardless of historical significance, only minor characters in Brutal Journey. It’s like someone name-dropping at a party, bouncing from one name to the other in the hopes one will impress.
Once the voyage to Florida is underway and the initial landing embarked upon, the story takes off and moves with alacrity, providing fascinating and relevant detail that makes it hard to put down. The transformation from prideful conquistadors to their naked struggle for survival and back to the “civilized” world is a somewhat familiar story. However, Brutal Journey is more than merely a rehash as it provides insight into a time and place few have written about. Throughout, the author respects what is not known about this period of North American history without detracting from the instructive narrative.
Jeffrey Penn May, author of Where the River Splits, Cynthia and the Blue Cat's Last Meow(http://tinyurl.com/7k3d3zg), and others.
However, it took Schneider about 60 pages of a historians fight against research ADD to get to the truly remarkable narrative. In those pages, it seems like Schneider probably loses many would be readers. He cannot seem to focus on the main characters long enough to establish a story before he digresses into side stories about other historical figures who are, regardless of historical significance, only minor characters in Brutal Journey. It’s like someone name-dropping at a party, bouncing from one name to the other in the hopes one will impress.
Once the voyage to Florida is underway and the initial landing embarked upon, the story takes off and moves with alacrity, providing fascinating and relevant detail that makes it hard to put down. The transformation from prideful conquistadors to their naked struggle for survival and back to the “civilized” world is a somewhat familiar story. However, Brutal Journey is more than merely a rehash as it provides insight into a time and place few have written about. Throughout, the author respects what is not known about this period of North American history without detracting from the instructive narrative.
Jeffrey Penn May, author of Where the River Splits, Cynthia and the Blue Cat's Last Meow(http://tinyurl.com/7k3d3zg), and others.
May 27, 2012
Brutal Journey is a fantastic narrative collected from several primary and secondary sources about the almost unbelievable sequence of events that befell Narvaez, his royal treasurer (and primary author of the surviving account), and 600 Spanish soldiers that journeyed to La Florida in the 1520s to claim it for gold, god, country, and perhaps most importantly, Narvaez’s personal ambition. Paul Scheider is an expert weaver of words, and has an ability to intermingle prose and historical narrative so that it reads like an adventure novel instead of a history textbook. And an adventure it is.
From 600 people beginning at the disastrous expedition, years later, only four survivors remained. From shipwrecks, to plague and unyielding swarms of native arrows in the hot and humid Floridian landscape, to cannibalism and slavery, the Spaniard numbers were slowly picked off. It’s difficult to fathom a more hellish experience.
It’s a story of facts tainted with psychology. Human motives, subtleties of fear and greed and hubris, all cover the landscape of one chief enterprise: survival.
All in all, it’s an amazing travel story. Against harrowing odds, they manage to survive to write their tale. It’s a look inside different cultures, different mindsets, and at its bare essence, how much it sucked to live back then.
Reading it was brutally poetic.
From 600 people beginning at the disastrous expedition, years later, only four survivors remained. From shipwrecks, to plague and unyielding swarms of native arrows in the hot and humid Floridian landscape, to cannibalism and slavery, the Spaniard numbers were slowly picked off. It’s difficult to fathom a more hellish experience.
It’s a story of facts tainted with psychology. Human motives, subtleties of fear and greed and hubris, all cover the landscape of one chief enterprise: survival.
All in all, it’s an amazing travel story. Against harrowing odds, they manage to survive to write their tale. It’s a look inside different cultures, different mindsets, and at its bare essence, how much it sucked to live back then.
Reading it was brutally poetic.
December 23, 2025
The more I read about the Spanish conquest of the Americas the more I believe 90% of their motivation could be summed up as, "I was jealous of Cortes."
De Vaca was part of the 1% who survived the journey, so he got to tell the tale, but it starts with Narvaez, jealous asshole come to Mexico to off Cortes after the "latter" stole Mexico from him. Well, Cortes was harder and smarter and saw the attack coming and though Narvaez fought with bravery in June 1520 all he got out of it was a lost eye and 3 years in prison. When the heavily indebted Charles V (bribing the Vatican to get the title of Holy Roman Emperor is not an inexpensive endeavor) granted the now wealth Cortes the title of Marquis del Valle of Mexico (for a price, of course) Narvaez and the Cuban governor Velazquez recognized the battle was lost.
Narvaez is free now in late 1523, and his wife has been making bank in Cuba with their slaves panning enough gold to retire the couple several times over. But, no, not good enough, gotta conquer an empire to show I'm as good as Cortes!
Well, Charles V still needed money, and there was no shortage of bureaucratic palms in Spain that could use some grease, so Narvaez heads back to the old world to get another charter. Wouldn't you know it, Ponce de Leon went down via a Native arrow in 1521, so Florida has opened up! As has Texas, with Garay dead. Charles V grants Narvaez a charter for both.
Narvaez begs, borrows and pleads with moneylenders from Germany and Seville to finance the operation, getting useless hidalgos from Spain to sign up (can't do manual labor, we have titles!) and here the author makes a fool of himself by putting reconquista in scare quotes to describe the Spaniards reconquering their land from jewish and moorish invaders, while also drastically overstating the impact of the inquisition on the former.
Moving on, de Vaca is hired as treasurer, and off they go to the Canary Islands, lands de Vaca's grandfather had conquered with cruelty to impress a woman who had earlier been a side piece of both Columbus and King Ferdinand. Three months after sailing from Spain the party reached the DR, with the ship having offered cramped spaces, lice, and gomera cheese.
Santo Domingo was already past its prime in 1519 with declining gold strikes, but residents were in no hurry to go to Florida, with only 150 of Ayllon's 600 having survived. Narvaez goes to Santaigo de Cuba to buy horses and see his wife. He splits his force in hurricane season and loses 60 men and 1/4 of his ships. Wintered in Cienfugeos and in February 1528 400 men and 80 horses depart for Florida. Bad luck gets worse as the fleet is run aground in SW Cuba and they lose three weeks. When they finally close to Havana the wind blows them off course into the Gulf and then 2 months into their 2 week journey they land near modern day Tampa.
After landing they trade beads and bells for fish, but the Natives, having run into de Leon in 1513 and 1521, ran away the next day. Narvaez proclaims himself governor but there is not much food. They are fed by the Timicuri Indians who later try to kill them. This would not be the last instances of mixed signals they would receive from the Indigenous.
Natives who were kidnapped insisted gold could be found north in the land of the Apalachee, but first on the agenda for Narvaez was not starving to death. The Apalachee were taller than the Spaniards, good with a bow and arrow, and fought like cowards, harassing the Spanish from the tree line rather than have the balls to fight starving people picking up oysters.
Narvaez gets sick; someone has a good idea to build a forge; they eat horses; on 5-Sep they have 5 boats. (The Apalachee eventually get theirs - killed, enslaved, and assimilated by the Creek).
The journey back into the gulf is rough and several men die drinking salt water; the party is again attacked in the middle of the night by Natives who were friendly during the day. 3 killed, Narvaez wounded. Two of the Spanish deserted and were later killed by their hosts.
Shit gets real as the boats float west and then hit an unbelievably strong current called the Mississippi. Boats are scattered; Narvaez makes it back to shore but his boat detaches in the night and he is never seen again. 250 of the 300 who landed in Florida are still alive and on the shores of Texas in November. De Vaca and 49 others had a failed launch into the Gulf and then wintered with the Malhado, the friendliest Natives they encountered.
Fewer than 20 were still alive come Spring, with most dead from exposure. The party has worn out its welcome with the Malhado and they move on. By May only 14 out of the original 300 still drew breath.
Things get weird as de Vaca becomes a traveling salesman/slave/punching bag for about 5 years, traveling between one tribe and another, trading goods plentiful in one place and not plentiful in another. After several failed escape attempts from the Mariames, a curious tribe with lots of homosexuals and an ugly practice of killing babies, de Vaca and three others finally succeed in September 1534.
Things get weirder as they gain a reputation as healers, laying on hands and saying Catholic prayers over the sick, sometimes getting positive results. They cross the Rio Grande in 1535 with camp followers and reached run into Spanish slavers in Sinaloa in April 1536, more than 8 years after the start of their bogus journey. They reach Mexico City in April, get feted by Cortes, and then the moor is sold back into slavery. Castillo marries a rich widow; de Soto gets an exploration contract; and de Vaca, who I'm sure was totally honest in this account that made him look smart and Narvaez like an idiot, received a regional governorship in Argentina, where he was so bad he was sent out in chains.
Only 3 stars because some of the writing was not good and parts of the story dragged. The book was just OK, but the Spanish conquering of the Americas remains one of the most incredible stories in human history.
De Vaca was part of the 1% who survived the journey, so he got to tell the tale, but it starts with Narvaez, jealous asshole come to Mexico to off Cortes after the "latter" stole Mexico from him. Well, Cortes was harder and smarter and saw the attack coming and though Narvaez fought with bravery in June 1520 all he got out of it was a lost eye and 3 years in prison. When the heavily indebted Charles V (bribing the Vatican to get the title of Holy Roman Emperor is not an inexpensive endeavor) granted the now wealth Cortes the title of Marquis del Valle of Mexico (for a price, of course) Narvaez and the Cuban governor Velazquez recognized the battle was lost.
Narvaez is free now in late 1523, and his wife has been making bank in Cuba with their slaves panning enough gold to retire the couple several times over. But, no, not good enough, gotta conquer an empire to show I'm as good as Cortes!
Well, Charles V still needed money, and there was no shortage of bureaucratic palms in Spain that could use some grease, so Narvaez heads back to the old world to get another charter. Wouldn't you know it, Ponce de Leon went down via a Native arrow in 1521, so Florida has opened up! As has Texas, with Garay dead. Charles V grants Narvaez a charter for both.
Narvaez begs, borrows and pleads with moneylenders from Germany and Seville to finance the operation, getting useless hidalgos from Spain to sign up (can't do manual labor, we have titles!) and here the author makes a fool of himself by putting reconquista in scare quotes to describe the Spaniards reconquering their land from jewish and moorish invaders, while also drastically overstating the impact of the inquisition on the former.
Moving on, de Vaca is hired as treasurer, and off they go to the Canary Islands, lands de Vaca's grandfather had conquered with cruelty to impress a woman who had earlier been a side piece of both Columbus and King Ferdinand. Three months after sailing from Spain the party reached the DR, with the ship having offered cramped spaces, lice, and gomera cheese.
Santo Domingo was already past its prime in 1519 with declining gold strikes, but residents were in no hurry to go to Florida, with only 150 of Ayllon's 600 having survived. Narvaez goes to Santaigo de Cuba to buy horses and see his wife. He splits his force in hurricane season and loses 60 men and 1/4 of his ships. Wintered in Cienfugeos and in February 1528 400 men and 80 horses depart for Florida. Bad luck gets worse as the fleet is run aground in SW Cuba and they lose three weeks. When they finally close to Havana the wind blows them off course into the Gulf and then 2 months into their 2 week journey they land near modern day Tampa.
After landing they trade beads and bells for fish, but the Natives, having run into de Leon in 1513 and 1521, ran away the next day. Narvaez proclaims himself governor but there is not much food. They are fed by the Timicuri Indians who later try to kill them. This would not be the last instances of mixed signals they would receive from the Indigenous.
Natives who were kidnapped insisted gold could be found north in the land of the Apalachee, but first on the agenda for Narvaez was not starving to death. The Apalachee were taller than the Spaniards, good with a bow and arrow, and fought like cowards, harassing the Spanish from the tree line rather than have the balls to fight starving people picking up oysters.
Narvaez gets sick; someone has a good idea to build a forge; they eat horses; on 5-Sep they have 5 boats. (The Apalachee eventually get theirs - killed, enslaved, and assimilated by the Creek).
The journey back into the gulf is rough and several men die drinking salt water; the party is again attacked in the middle of the night by Natives who were friendly during the day. 3 killed, Narvaez wounded. Two of the Spanish deserted and were later killed by their hosts.
Shit gets real as the boats float west and then hit an unbelievably strong current called the Mississippi. Boats are scattered; Narvaez makes it back to shore but his boat detaches in the night and he is never seen again. 250 of the 300 who landed in Florida are still alive and on the shores of Texas in November. De Vaca and 49 others had a failed launch into the Gulf and then wintered with the Malhado, the friendliest Natives they encountered.
Fewer than 20 were still alive come Spring, with most dead from exposure. The party has worn out its welcome with the Malhado and they move on. By May only 14 out of the original 300 still drew breath.
Things get weird as de Vaca becomes a traveling salesman/slave/punching bag for about 5 years, traveling between one tribe and another, trading goods plentiful in one place and not plentiful in another. After several failed escape attempts from the Mariames, a curious tribe with lots of homosexuals and an ugly practice of killing babies, de Vaca and three others finally succeed in September 1534.
Things get weirder as they gain a reputation as healers, laying on hands and saying Catholic prayers over the sick, sometimes getting positive results. They cross the Rio Grande in 1535 with camp followers and reached run into Spanish slavers in Sinaloa in April 1536, more than 8 years after the start of their bogus journey. They reach Mexico City in April, get feted by Cortes, and then the moor is sold back into slavery. Castillo marries a rich widow; de Soto gets an exploration contract; and de Vaca, who I'm sure was totally honest in this account that made him look smart and Narvaez like an idiot, received a regional governorship in Argentina, where he was so bad he was sent out in chains.
Only 3 stars because some of the writing was not good and parts of the story dragged. The book was just OK, but the Spanish conquering of the Americas remains one of the most incredible stories in human history.
November 14, 2007
This book is 100 times better than the last book I checked out about Cabeza de Vaca. The writing is great, and the narrative is fascinating. One of the most interesting things about this story is that even after years of living with the native peoples of what is now the U.S., the surviving conquistadors went right back to commiting genocide against the very people who had saved them. Granted, some people argue that Cabeza de Vaca stood up for indigenous rights to some degree, but it seems like a very small degree. For example, when the small group of survivors were finally reunited with fellow Spaniards, they told them exactly where to find the biggest pockets of native peoples. Of course, these fellow Spaniards promptly went to enslave and murder the remaining groups of native peoples.
December 28, 2013
Wow, what an adventure. Despite all the death, torture, starvation, etc., of course. On the one hand it’s hard to believe that these 4 men survived their 8 year trek across the continent. But on the other hand, it’s hard to believe more of the ~400 that started out didn’t survive. I like the author’s style--kind of breezy, didn’t get bogged down in details. Very readable. Of course, it’s also an examination of the arrogance and hubris of these colonial explorers--their intention was to claim the entire southern half of north America as their own private kingdom. We can see how that worked out for them.
November 16, 2009
I am a huge history nerd, and I never even knew that this happened...it makes me wonder what else I'm missing! This was a great book, it was an exceptionally quick read for a non-fiction book, and Schneider did a good job with the little information that's around from this particular expedition. There was a little too much speculation in it for me--I'm nerdy, I like my facts solid!--but the story itself was so compelling, I can easily overlook some of the more nebulous features. I'm definitely going to be looking for more work from Paul Schneider!
October 27, 2008
well, of course I have to give it five stars, even if I would have done a few things differently if I were writing it today...
October 12, 2015
An amazing and fascinating story but rather disturbing and painful to read. Still, recommend to any who find this sort of history interesting.
April 30, 2015
Well written historical narrative. By the end it was getting a little surreal and I liked it.
December 30, 2015
Fascinating and incredible.
June 19, 2017
VERY interesting book about Cabeza de Vaca's journey through Florida, Texas and into Mexico. THIS is how a textbook SHOULD read!
August 3, 2018
“Forward was progress, forward was hope, backward was unthinkable.”
Discovery was violent.
Discovery was violent.
April 22, 2023
This book was a quick and easy and also fun read. At first the authors opinions and use of certain words were kind of biased but honestly it faded quick. I think he was finding his voice in that way. Later on though, the book picked up and became super good. The author was surprisingly unbiased in his views and was showing multiple sides to everything. Now onto the story, it was super good. The story starts with a man, Narvaez who was originally with Cortes in Mexico when he conquered it. Narvaez was the one who led a sort of attempted takeover because Cortes initially left him in Cuba to take Mexico for himself. Narvaez lost the attempted takeover and lost an eye and was sent back to Spain. There he lobbied to take an expedition and conquer Florida to Texas essentially. He eventually got the approval and set out with 300ish men. The men had trouble from Cuba and lost ships and men until they had to walk across Florida. After the men made it to Alabama it’s guessed, they built 5 crude boats to escape the Indians who were largely hostile. Narvaezs’ and the other 4 boats got separated and Narvaez and the boat was swept out never seen again. The other 4 boats made land in Louisiana basically all separate. They met up and by this point a bunch of men had died. Eventually it was 4 men, cabeza de vaca, 2 Spaniards and a moorish slave, Esteban or the black. Cabeza de vaca was the treasurer for Narvaez and the now leader essentially. The 4 got split up but eventually met up at a gathering festival for Indians and made their escape. They went south along the coast of Texas and made it to new tribes. The tribes thought they were healers where they healed magically and somehow they tried and it worked. They became essentially celebrities traveling and curing people. They would sew wounds, sign the cross above them, even supposedly bringing a man back from “death.” Eventually they went north west once in northern Mexico and got to the western coast of Texas where they went south to meet Spaniards and go home. They had an entourage at this point of Indians who were amazed at their powers of supposedly healing the sick. Though, they left them and went home to the Spaniards. They all went back to old ways. The two Spaniards married and settled down, cabeza de vaca went back to Spain and tried getting rights to go back and claim Narvaez’s land but never did and settled down to write his memoirs. Then, Esteban was with other expeditions in the new world and was a scout essentially and on the Coronado expedition he went ahead but never returned, no one knows what exactly happened. So all in all, the story of the 4 men left after a tragic expedition gone wrong and their travels of over 1000 miles was a great and true one. They witnessed and went through so much and it sucks so many people died during this expedition. This book was very fun and very good. I recommend it to anyone who likes Spanish history!
4.5/5
4.5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2022
Before reading this book I already knew something about Spanish conquistadors Cortés, Ponce de Leon and De Soto. How had I missed Pánfilo de Narváez? Perhaps it was because his final adventure was so inglorious. Too, his name has no easy off-the-tongue alliteration such as Ponce's nor did he have a car brand named for him. After participating in the conquests of Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica and after a period of imprisonment by Cortés, Narváez set out in 1528 with an “army” of about 400 to find the supposed golden city of Appalachia, starting in La Florida near Tampa Bay. They traveled northward. Swamps. Hunger. Thirst. Insects galore. Sharpshooting bow and arrow Indians. After six months they find themselves stranded at a bay south of modern-day Tallahassee. Amazingly, they fashion flat-bottomed longboats using makeshift tools made from melted-down armor (that's a story in itself for a craft magazine) then row westward along the Gulf Coast. Boats are lost, attrition abounds. Survivor numbers dwindle; those remaining continue to move westward on foot. Some Indian tribes they meet enslave them, others regard them as shamans. It's now 1535. Only four are left to tell the tale (Narváez not among them). A compelling narrative overall.
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