The DBQ Project. Vor-urraB l, UNn 1 MINI-O'LESSON PLAN

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1 The DBQ Project Mini-Qb in American History Vor-urraB l, UNn 1 Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? MINI-O'LESSON PLAN NOTE: Time required to do a Mini-Q varies greatly with skill level, grade, and DBQ experience. Time range is generally two to live 45 minute class periods.. Read the directions aloud. The purpose is to get students engaged, talking, and wanting to do the Mini-Q. Step Two: Background Essay Refer to the Step Two teacher notes in the Mini-Q. Students can write out answers to the BGE questions or the questions can simply be discussed. Step Three: Understanding the Ouestion and Pre-Bucketing The first task of recognizing and defining key words in the question is a crucial habit of mind. The second task oi pre-bucketing based on clues in the question is an important categorization skill. Step Four: Document Analysis Model Document A with the whole class, showing the kind of thinking and detail you expect in student answers to the Document Analysis questions. Working in pairs or groups oi three, students proceed to examine the remaining documents, writing answers to the Document Analysis questions, or alternatrvely, filling out the Document Analysis Sheet located in the Toolkit. Conclude by asking volunteer pairs to present the remaining documents to the class by going through the Document Analysis questions and discussing their answers. Step Five: Bucketing and Chickenfoot Have students complete the bucketing and chickenfoot work page. This step helps students clarify their thesis and road map. Then do a Thrash-out. u may want students to use the Outline Guide Sheet or the Guided Essay in the Toolkit. The Guided Essay is especially helpful for students needing extra support. MlNl-Q* LESSON PLAN: CLEAN VERSION OPTION lj students are ready, use the Clean Version of the Mini-Q, which requires them to handle more of the analysis on their own. Estimated time to complete is 2 to 3 class DBO Prol cl

2 TEACHER DOCUMENT LIST (EV) There are 4 documents in this Mini-Q. Students are provided with the same document list, but it is not divided into analytical categories or buckets. Students may develop buckets that are different from these. Context Document A: Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico (map) Wilderness Skills Document B:The Art of Survival (chart) Healing Powers Document C: The Surgeon Relations with Native Americans Document D: "We came from where the sun rose..." 2013 The OBQ Projsct

3 Cabeza devaca: How Did He Survive? Cabeza de Vaca (center) among the Native Americans. Painting by Frederic Remington. Overview: On June lj, 1521, Cabeza de Vaca sailed from the Spanish mainland with 600 settlers to establish colonies on the northem shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The trip went badly, and within a year nearly all the men in the expedition were dead. This MiniQ is about Cabeza's eight-year struggle to stay alive and his remarkable journey from Florida to the Texas coast and, eventually, to Mexico City. The Documents: Document A: Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico (map) Document B: The Art of Survival (chart) Document C: The Surgeon Document D: "We came from where the sun rose..." A Mini Document Based Question (Mini-Q) O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 3

4 Cabeza de Vaca lvlini-o Step One:The Hook Teacher Note: The purpose of the Hook Exercise is to create some initial interest in the Cabeza de Vaca Mini-O. You may want to mention to students that many of the details in these three survival situations are similar to those described by Cabeza himsell. Read the three situations aloud to the class. Then divide students into pairs or groups of three, assigning one situation to each. Give students several minutes to discuss the situation and what they would do. Allow a few minutes at the end lor students to share their responses with everyone. Historical notes to drop into the discussion:. Cabeza historian Andres Resendez inlorms us that the Gult Coast of Texas is home to perhaps the richest variety ol mosquitoes in North America - 81 known species. Acting together, mosquitoes can bring down a large animal. Thousands of bites can kill a person.. Each summer, bands of nomadic lndians would move to the prickly-pear cactus fields of southeast Texas to gorge themselves on cactus fruit. Juice squeezed lrom the fruit could also stave off thirst. However, prickly-pear plants only produce fruit every other year, and low raintall could affect crop yield. A bad season would have had a devastating impact on native tribes.. The coastal region ol east Texas, south of Galveston, was very difficult to navigate on foot. Abounding wetlands, estuaries, bays, mosquitoes and lndian groups made it an inhospitable place for Spaniards. lt is also a historical fact that many conquistadors did not know how to swim. Possible solutions to the three predicaments: Situation #1: Seek refuge in a pool of water. Cover body with mud, leaving air holes for mouth and nose. Use the Jlint to start a smudge fire by burning wet wood. Mosquitoes don't like smoke. Situation #2: Using sign language, show the hunters that you, too, are hungry, and offer them some of your fruit. lndicate that you can lead them to prickly-pear plants in the morning. Do not surrender your flint. lt could well mean hypothermia and death. Situation #3: Swallow your fear and make contact with the locals. They probably lish for some of their lood and have dugout canoes for crossing the river. Failing that, find a large log and, under cover of night, kick-paddle your way across the river. However, the fact remains that you are in big trouble. You probably will need human assistance at some point Th6 OBO Proj6cl

5 Hook Exercise: Cabeza de Vaca Directions: Below are three common dangers that faced Native Americans and European explorers in Mexico in the 16th and 17th centuries. With a partner or in a small group, discuss each situation and what you might have done to stay alive. When finished, answer the summary question. Danger #1: Gulf Coast Mosquitoes You are wandering, lost and alone, in swampy wetlands off San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. With every step, the thick mud sucks on your bare feet. You have a piece of flint, some deer meat for food, and are wearing nothing but a small deerskin hide. The June sun is setting and swarms of mosquitoes cover your body, entering your nostrils and mouth with every breath. You are desperate. What do you do? Be specihc. Danger #2: Armed Strangers You are trekking alone in the dry prickly-pear region of southeast Texas. The prickly-pear cactus fruit is the only food you have eaten in ten days. The pickings have been thin. As you are making your evening fire with your precious flint, a band of six hunters suddenly appears. They are carrying spezlrs but no game. Like you, their ribs show clearly through their skin. They are speaking in an unknown language. They look at you sternly and motion for you to drop your flint and pile of precious fruit, and to walk away into the cold 40-degree night. What do you do? Danger #3: River Crossing You are one of two survivors of a Spanish expedition that has shipwrecked off the Gulf Coast of Texas. Together you decide to walk 400 miles down the coast to the closest Spanish outpost. One huge problem is that you must cross a deep river nearly 200 yards wide - and neither of you knows how to swim. You have seen signs of native people in the area (a fishnet here, a footprint there) and are terrified by shipboard tales of cannibalism. What do you do? Summary question: Which of these situations scares you the most? Explain. O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 5

6 Step Two: Establishing the Context General lnstructions. Review the Timeline.. Pre-teach the bold-faced vocabulary.. Have students read the Background Essay or read it aloud.. Have students answer the Background Essay questions. Specific Considerations The main purpose of the Background Essay is to create a context for the Mini-Q exercise. Its job is to provide a sense of time, place and story, and to introduce important vocabulary and concepts. Doing this well gives all students a more equal chance to succeed with the Mini-Q. Time: Be sure students review the Timeline. Christopher Columbus died in How old was Cabeza at that time? (16 years old.) How many years before Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of lndependence did Cabeza land on the beaches of Galveston lsland? ( = 248 years.) ln terms of the history of the United States, Cabeza lived long ago. His story goes back about 500 years - half a millennium. lt is good for students to have a sense of that expanse of time. Place: Refer to a wall map showing the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Review the path of the Narvaez expedition from Seville, Spain, to the Canary lslands, to Cuba to Tampa Bay. From the Gulf basin, trace the route shown in the Background Essay map from Tampa Bay to Apalachee Bay to the Mississippi delta to Galveston lsland. Story: We suggest reading the Background Essay aloud. lt is good for students, even strong readers, to hear the words as they see them. For many, it is important to hear the cadence of the language, to experience pauses and emphasis. Use the Background Essay questions to review the text. Vocabulary and Concepts: You may want to pre-teach the five bold-faced terms in the essay. Our feeling about vocabulary is that some pre-teaching is good, but keep the word list short. When reading aloud, see how much students can get from context. o O 2013 The DBQ Project

7 Background Essay Cabeza de Vaca Mini-Q In the spring of 1527, five Spanish ships left the port of Seville and set sail for the New World. The leader of the expedition was a conquistador named Panfilo de Narvaez, who had a dream to establish settlements along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Among the members of his party was Cabeza de Vaca, a 37 -yearold military veteran who would serve as the expedition's treasurer. After wintering in Cuba, Narvaez set out for northeastern Mexico. However, tricky currents in the Gulf of Mexico would prove iateful. Narvaez ordered 300 men each large enough to carry 50 men. Every few days one of the remaining horses was killed and eaten. The goal was no longer colonization or riches; it was survival. Carrying fresh water stored in hollowed-out horse legs, the expedition pushed off with Cabeza commanding one of the rafts. Several weeks into the journey, hunger and thirst began to take their toll; the men grew weak and suffered bouts of insanity. Somewhere near the Mississippi River, a strong wind blew the five rafts out to sea. After several desperate days, Cabeza's raft drifted back to shore. Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? Historians now believe that Cabeza and his fellow castaways landed on modern-day Galveston Island, Texas. A second raft was blown ashore on the same island, which the men named Isle de Malhado, the Island of Bad Luck. The other three rafts were never seen again. In a matter of days, 250 men had dwindled to 80. Within months, the number would drop to 18. Within ayear, it would be four. One of those four was Cabeza. The island on which Cabeza landed in pushed the ships off course, and Narvaez, hope- November 152g was not deserted. It was popu_ lessly confused, made accidental landfall near lated by two Native American bands, each modern-daytampabay,..j.ffi*-,,},**, withabout400people, Florida. Inadecisionthat, : I r. 5 I each with its own lan- I _ I, lguage. Initially.rhe to leave the ships and l**ff!;!gf:y/}3^^ march inland on a search for treasure. They would fl / Indians acted as the I,r*iuo.r'carerakers. rn time, however, they "'lii il ')*,l became slave masters. vury or never see their Mexrco ships again. i:::ill" f= f{ I -4_:;tu.*h-.r\:s. I ert.. two years of After two difficult I; 1 I months,narvaezandhisl'l',*...-:-.',i_ toescape,joiningamainmen arrived at Apalachee [,$=P.A'I.,N - la,i," "'-r^""sa"ryf;ii,] $rw I $.P AJN \-.. i Caribbean Sea.\,_...-.x7 I ' o1 caribbeans,, ' t tano band called the Bay with no treasure, no l= " "\"---r1'1rr ' i'. I Charrucos. The ships in sight, and little Cabeza de Vaca's ill-fated voyage Chamrcos gave Cabeza food. Narvaez knew only that he had to travel misery, Cabezamanaged the freedom to trade their goods among nearby west to get to Mexico. He ordered that firearms Indian groups, exchanging shells for hides and be melted down to make tools to build five rafts, flint for animal hearts. Then, in the fall of 1532, Cabeza miraculously met up with three fellow survivors who had been enslaved by other Indian groups. After two years of waiting for the right moment, the three men were finally able to slip away from their Indian masters and walk to Mexico City. The journey would take 2l months and would require a special combination of skill, patience, and the goodwill of many Native Americans met along the way. Read the four documents that follow and answer the question asked by this Mini-Q, "How did Cabeza de Vaca survive?" O 20'13 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 7

8 Step Two: Establishing the Context (continued) Answers to Background Essay Questions 1. ln what year and from what country did the Narvaez expedition sail? 1527 trom Spain 2. What was the purpose of the expedition? To establish settlements along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico 3. After the expedition's ships were carried otf course in the Gulf of Mexico, where did they land? Tampa Bay, in the modern state of Florida 4. Where was Cabeza's raft blown ashore? How many years was Cabeza a slave of the lndians? Galveston lsland, Texas;about seven years 5. How many members of the expedition made it all the way to Mexico City? Four 6. Define these terms: conquistador: Spanish soldier and explorer. Conquistadors-conquerors-sailed to the New World in the 16th century and took control of Mexico, Central America and Peru. colonization: settling a new land which is still under the control of the mother country back home castaways: survivors of a shipwreck Charrucos: lndian group in east Texas whom Cabeza served as a slave for two years flint: very hard quartz stone that sparks when struck by steel 2013 The O8O Project

9 Background Essay Questions 1. In what year and from what country did the Narvaez expedition sail? 2. What was the purpose of the expedition? 3. After the expedition's ships were carried off course in the Gulf of Mexico, where did they land? 4. Where was Cabeza's raft blown ashore? How many years was Cabeza a slave of the Indians? 5. How many members of the expedition made it all the way to Mexico City? 6. Dehne these terms: conquistador colonization castaways Chamrcos flint Timeline c.10,000 BCE - First human settlement in Texas CE - Growth of Caddo Indian culture in eastern Texas Apaches move into the Texas panhandle Accidental discovery of America by Christopher Columbus Cabeza de Vaca washed ashore on Gulf Coast of Texas Cabeza arrives in Mexico City Coronado explores western Texas Oil oozing up from ground used by Spanish sailors to caulk ships O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 9

10 Cabeza de Vaca Mini-O Step Three: Understanding the Question and Pre-Bucketing Understanding the Question 1. What is the analytical question asked by this Mini-O? How did Cabeza de Vaca survive? 2. What terms in the question need to be defined? One would hope nothing, but to be sure, ask students to define "survive." 3. Rewrite the question in your own words. During his eight years as a castaway, how did Cabeza de Vaca manage to stay alive? Pre-Bucketing Teaching Note: At this pre-bucketing stage, it is important to encourage creativity as long as it is somehow grounded in the question and document headings on the student cover sheet. Students should not have access to the bucket suggestions provided by the teacher. As students suggest their bucket labels, draw bucket sets on the board. The best ol these can remain on the board throughout the Mini-Q exercise. As students go through the actual documents, these bucket possibilities should be revisited and revised. Reason #1 lor Survival Reason #2 for Survival Reason #3 for Survival DBO Prolocl

11 Understanding the Question and Pre-Bucketing Understanding the Question 1. What is the analytical question asked by this Mini-Q? 2. What terms in the question need to be dehned? 3. Rewrite the question in your own words. Pre-Bucketing Directions: Using any clues from the Mini-Q question, think of logical categories for organizing the documents and label the buckets. We suggest a three-bucket format. O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 11

12 Step Four: Document Analysis Document A: Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico (map) Content Notes:. Cabeza de Vaca's journey from the Florida peninsula to Mexico City lasted eight years and three months, nearly three times what it took Magellan's fleet to sail around the world ten years earlier. Cabeza and his three fellow survivors were probably the first human beings to fully traverse the entire North American continent.. The precise route taken by Cabeza is not certain. However, historians have worked hard to match Cabeza's descriptions with geographic landmarks. The reason for the broad swath on the map is to account for some uncertainties.. Much of what we know about Cabeza's odyssey comes from his Relaci1n (referred to by some as "The Narrative") published in Spain in 1542, five years after returning from Mexico City. lt is wonderfully informative about Native American cultures and the travails of Cabeza's journey. lt is not always clear, however, what happened when and where.. Most historians who have tracked Cabeza believe his raft landed on Galveston lsland. Cabeza and the survivors called it lsle de Malhado, the lsland of Bad Luck. Cabeza's time on Malhado was very difficult. We know that in the early 16th century, temperatures were generally cooler than today. We also know that the winter ol was particularly harsh.. Cabeza's eventual escape and trek to Mexico City is best understood as a kind of relay in which he and his three escaped comrades would accompany an lndian band for several days or weeks and then be passed off to another band. By the time the castaways reached the Rio Grande, their reputation as healers preceded them, and the size of their lndian escort grew. Students will discover this when they get to Document C.. When Cabeza and friends reached the area near Rio San Lorenzo in the summer of 1535, they surprisingly headed northwest, away from Mexico City. We are not sure why. Possibly it was warnings from his escorts that the lndian bands along the coast and south of the Rio Grande were not friendly. Whatever the reason, the survivors certainly took the long way home. Once they turned away from the Gulf, the Sierra Madres forced them back north before they could again turn west and then south. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. ln what year did Cabeza's raft wash ashore in east Texas? November Cabeza escaped from his lndian captors in About how long did it take him to walk from the east Texas coast to Mexico City? almost two years 3. About how many miles was this walk? The jagged route from Galveston lsland to Mexico City was at least 2,500 miles, and probably more. 4. What details on the map indicate that this is a tough landscape to survive? mountains, desert, unfriendly lndians, absence of towns. Be sure students are clear that Cabeza was not alone in his trek to Mexico City. He was joined by three other survivors: Alonso Castillo and Andres Dorantes, fellow officers on the expedition, and Dorantes's North African slave, known only as Estabanico. Each had special talents. Estabanico was very outgoing, quick to learn languages, and was much loved by the lndian women, something that Cabeza had to downplay in his Relaci6n. 12 O The DBQ Project

13 Document A Source: Map created from various sources. Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico Document Analysis 1. In what year did Cabeza's raft wash ashore in east Texas? 2. Cabeza escaped from his Indian captors in About how long did it take him to walk from the east Texas coast to Mexico City? 3. About how many miles was this walk? -^' 4. What details from the map indicate that this is a tough landscape to survive? O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 13

14 Step Four: Document Analysis (conrinued) Document B: The Art of Survival (chart) Content Notes:. The fact lhat Cabeza forever after relerred to Apalachee Bay as the Bay of Horses suggests something ol the desperation ol the moment. Having melted down their guns to build rafts, the 250 survivors were then forced to slaughter their horses for food and thus gave up their last advantages over the native population - horses and arms. The horse-leg water bags worked for a while, but after several weeks on the rafts they rotted, the water turned rancid, and thirst became a killer.. Cabeza's ability to live on little food was remarkable. At one point in northwest Mexico, he set out across the barren desert with only a very small portion of deer suet to last several days. ln his Relaci'n, Cabeza says that even the lndians were slunned by how little he needed to fuel his body and keep going.. The number of languages that the four survivors encountered was an ongoing wonder to Cabeza. Together, the lour men appear to have learned six languages, plus sign language. Most of these were acquired in east Texas and did them little good south of the Rio Grande. lt is striking how small and parochial some of the language groups must have been. For example, Galveston lsland, which is only 27 miles long, was home to two indigenous peoples, the Hans and the Capoque. The two bands had limited contact, and each spoke a language unintelligible to the other. Each numbered only aboul 400 people. Negotiating one's way through hundreds of languages with minimum misunderstandings is truly a survival skill. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. Give one example each of how Cabeza dealt with thirst and hunger. Thirst: stored water in hollowed-oul horse legs. Hunger: was willing to eat a wide range ol lood lo stay alive, including rats and spiders. 2. How can the ability to speak a language save your life? Language helps you to get directions, lind food and water, and make friends. 3. Besides providing warmth, how might Cabeza's lour fires have helped him stay alive? The cross design may have been an etfort to seek God's help. Cabeza was a Spanish Catholic, and this was a very religious time in Spain. Signaling to God probably helped him keep his faith and stay positive. 4. What is the main idea ol lhis document? How does it explain why Cabeza survived? The main idea ol the document is that survival depends upon many skills, some nol so obvious at Iirst. Ability to get fresh waler and food is key. So are language skills, developing good relations (trust) with people who can help, and maintaining hope and laith.. Discuss Cabeza's two years as an itinerant trader. While living with the Charrucos and serving as a slave, Cabeza gradually won their confidence and was entrusted with carrying goods like shell scrapers and possibly pearls into the interior lo trade for hides. The lndians apparenlly saw Cabeza as a sale go-between. Using sign language, he was able to deal with the many different groups he encountered. Ask students to think about how this helped Cabeza to survive. (He learned to be at ease with different peoples; he learned the lay of the land in east Texas, which was important should he ever decide to escape; he sharpened his Ioraging skills.). Summary question lor students: Of all the survival situations mentioned on the chart, which do you think did the most to keep Cabeza alive? 2013 Th6 OBQ Proigcl

15 Cabeza de Vaca Mini-Q Document B Source: Compiled lrom The Relaci6n of Alvar Nufiez Cabeza de Vaca, 1542, lhe explorer's personal account ol his long adventure. The Art of Survival Date Oct. ts28 Problem Cabeza's Response Thirst With other raft survivors adrift in the gulf of Mexico, Cabeza drank water stored in hollowed-out horse-leg containers Periodic hunger Distrust As a slave, Cabeza ate what was available, including bemies, mollusks, rats, roots, Iizards, snakes, and spiders. Cabeza befriended his captors and was therefore allowed to serve as a trader among Indian bands living within 150 miles of the Gulf Coast Communication t534 Cold / Despair Cabez.a learned four Indian languages, including Charuccos, plus sign language. Lost and completely naked, Cabeza happened on a smoldering tree that had been struck by lightning. He lit a branch in the dying flames and kept the torch burning as he walked. Each night he huddled in a hole that he'd dug and "around that pit placed four fires like the points of a cross." Document Analysis 1. Give one example each of how Cabeza dealt with thirst and hunger. 2. How can the ability to speak a language save your life? 3. Besides providing warmth, how might Cabeza's four fires have helped him stay alive? 4. What is the main idea of this document? How does it explain why Cabeza 2013 The DBO Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 15

16 Step Four: Document Analysis (conrinued) Document C: The Surgeon Content Notes:. The surgery performed by Cabeza is known as a sagittectomy. His skill was so remarkable that the operation was the sublect of an article in The New England Journal of Medicine (Dec. 27, 1973).. Stories of healings are laced throughout the Relaci6n. Only Alonso Castillo is known to have had any medical experience before landing in Florida, and that was obtained merely by observing his fathe( who was a physician back in Spain. All four men practiced healing with the lndians. At f irst, it was mostly by making the sign of the cross over the patient and saying a few Pater Nosters. With time, however, their confidence grew and they began to believe that God had singled them out for this work. There are many accounts ol successful healing in Cabeza's narrative, but none of lailure.. The healing powers of the travelers had a powerful effect on the many lndian groups they encountered. Each time the men tried to resume their journey, the natives were reluctant to let them go, often accompanying them for days until the next lndian group was encountered. ln their great walk across northern Mexico in the fall of 1535, Cabeza and his three fellow castaways were accompanied for days by as many as 4,000 lndians. Throughout, the four men were treated like royalty, even gods. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. What was wrong with the man who was brought to Cabeza? What tool did Cabeza use to perform the operation? The man had an arrowhead lodged in his chest, just above the heart. Cabeza used a knite to cut out the arrow point. 2. What details in the painting are supported by Cabeza's account of the operation? The lndians accompanying the patient; the knile in Cabeza's hand; the blood and the palient's pained expression indicate a deep cut. 3. How does this document help answer the question, "How did Cabeza de Vaca survive?" Cabeza and his fellow travelers were apparently quite successful in their healing practices. A reputation lor being great healers mrght guarantee sale passage across the land, at least as long as they were successlul. Also, Cabeza and his three companions believed that God had a hand in their powers to heal. lt must have given a great boost to their confidence and therefore their survival.. Discuss the power ol healing. Might the men actually have been given divine powers to heal as a means to get them home safely? How important is the power of positive thinking in the healing process, both by the healer and the patient? ln the Relacidn, Cabeza reveals his belief that he had been given a special power by God, and took no personal credit lor his successes.. Discuss more lully with students the role that healing might have had in the survival of the,our travelers. The size ol the entourage grew as they gol nearer to the Pacilic Coast. The four men were said to have "come lrom the sky" and were showered with the best lood available. Do students think that Cabeza and his companions would have made it lrom east Texas to Mexico City if they had not practiced healing? 2Ol3 The DBO Protecl

17 Document C Source: The Relaci6n of Alvar Nufiez Cabeza de Vaca, Note: ln this excerpt from his narrative, Cabeza describes an operation he performed in 1535 on a Native American living near the Rio Nadadores. lt is believed to be the first documented surgery done in North America. Here they brought me a man, and they told me that a long time ago he had been wounded through the right shoulder with an irrow, and the point of the arrow rested over his heart.... With a knife that I had, I opened his chest to that place... I inserted the knife point, and with great difficulty, at last I pulled it out. It was very long and, with a deer bone,... I gave him two stitches. And two days later, I removed the two stitches from the Indian and he was healed. And this cure gave us a very great reputation among them throughout the whole land. Source: Painting by Thomas Lea, courtesy of Moody Medical Library, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Document Analysis 1. What was wrong with the man who was broughtto Cabeza? What tool did Cabeza use to perform the operation? 2. What details in the painting are supported by Cabeza's account of the operation? 3. How does this document help answer the question, "How did Cabeza de Vaca 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 17

18 Step Four: Document Analysis (conrinued) Document D: "We came from where the sun rose,.." Content Notes:. This first encounter with Spanish civilization was not very pleasant for Cabeza. He had emerged on the outer fringes of Spain's northwest Mexican province, Nueva Galicia, which was under the brutal control ol Nuho Guzmdn, a man who outdid other Spaniards in his cruelty to lndians. ln fact, as Cabeza would soon discover, the next 300 miles of his trek south would be through a depopulated area where lndians had either been marched off to slavery in long human chains or had fled into the mounlains.. One of the remarkable things about Cabeza is that, upon arrival in Mexico City, he lobbied hard for crealing a partnership with the lndian peoples he had gotten to know. He was greatly impressed, for example, by the northwest lndians who, through carelul tilling, were able to plant three maize (corn) crops a year. The idea ol partnership and Christian conversion was appealing to some Spanish leaders both in Mexico and in Spain. However, to view lndians as fellow human beings was not the majority opinion of the day. lt was certainly not Guzmdn's opinion. Shortly after Cabeza continued on his way to Mexico City, Guzman's soldiers headed back north and launched slave raids in the countryside Cabeza had just left.. Cabeza would spend several monlhs in Mexico City before sailing back to Spain in Flushed with his hope of establishing peace and partnership with the lndians, Cabeza sought out the governorship of those lands north ot Mexico. lnstead, it went to Hernando de Soto. After several years, Cabeza was given command of land in Argentina, but his pacitist attitude toward the lndians was nol wellreceived by the Spanish colonists. Cabeza was eventually accused of mismanagement and sent home. The charges were basically dropped and Cabeza died an old man in his ancestral village in Spain. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. Who were the Christians that Cabeza met near the Gulf of California? mounted Spanish conquistadors, or conquerors 2. What were the Spaniards doing when Cabeza met up with them? The Spaniards were trying to catch lndian slaves. 3. How did the Spaniards describe Cabeza and his three friends to the lndians? The Spaniards said that Cabeza and his three friends were of "no worth" and they, the Spaniards, were the real lords over the lndians. 4. According to Cabeza, how did the lndians regard him and his f riends compared to the Spaniards? The lndians said that, in general, Cabeza and his friends were good and the Spaniards were bad. Cabeza came from the rising sun, a place of light; the Spaniards came from the setting sun, a place of darkness. Cabeza cured, the Spaniards killed. Cabeza came naked and empty-handed, the SPaniards came mounted and armed. Cabeza and his friends gave, the Spaniards stole everything. 5. How does this document help answer the question, "How did Cabeza de Vaca survive?" These are Cabeza's words, and he might be self-aggrandizing, but the healing document (Doc C) also shows he cared about the lndians. He experienced slavery first-hand and knew its evils. He appears to think ol the lndians as fellow human beings. For this reason, he and his companions were respected and treated well. This mutual respect was one reason the men survived. Cabeza helped the lndians; the lndians helped Cabeza. DBO P.ojet

19 Document D Source: The Relaci6n of Alvar Nufiez Cabeza de Vaca, Note: After nearly seven years of captivity and almost two years spent walking west and south, Cabeza made first contact with "shocked" Spaniards near the Gulf of California. He was with his three fellow survivors and a following of hundreds of lndians. These Spaniards were on a slave-catching expedition and were spreading great fear among the lndian groups along the Pacific coast. ln this passage, Cabeza refers to these soldiers as'lhe Christians."...(W)e suffered many annoyances and great disputes with (the Spaniards), because they wanted to enslave the Indians we brought with us... The Christians (told the Indians) that we had been lost for a long time, and that we were people of ill fortune and no worth, and that they were the lords of the land whom the Indians were to serve and obey... The Indians were... not at all convinced... Some talked... among themselves, saying that the Christians were lying, because we came from where the sun rose, and (the Spaniards) from where it set; and that we cured the sick, and that (the Spaniards) killed those who were well; and that we came naked and barefoot, and they went about dressed and on horses and with lances; and that we did not covet anything but rather, everything (the Indians) gave us we later returned..., and that (the Spaniards) had no other objective but to steal everything they found and did not give anything to anyone. lrl Document Analysis 1. Who were the Christians that Cabeza met near the Gulf of California? 2. What were the Spaniards doing when Cabeza met up with them? 3. How did the Spaniards describe Cabeza and his three friends to the Indians? 4. According to Cabeza, how did the Indians regard him and his friends compared to the Spaniards? 5. How does this document help answer the question, "How did Cabeza de Vaca 2013 The DBO Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 19

20 Step Five: Bucketing - Getting Ready to Write Task One: Bucketing Reason #1 for Survival Wilderness Skills Reason #2 for Survival Success as a Healer Reason #3 for Survival Respect for the Native Americans TaskTwo: Thesis Development and Road Map The Chickenfoot Cabeza survived for at least three reasons: **%.(\\e % success as a healer The DBQ Project

21 Bucketing - Getting Ready to Write Bucketing Look over all the documents and organrze them into your final buckets. Write bucket labels under each bucket and place the letters of the documents in the buckets where they belong. It is OK to put a document in more than one bucket. Remember, your buckets are going to become your body paragraphs. Thesis Development and Road Map On the chickenfoot below, write your thesis and your road map. Your thesis is always an opinion and answers the Mini-Q question. The road map is created from your bucket labels and lists the topic areas you will examine in order to prove your 2013 The DBO Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 21

22 Cabeza de Vaca lvlini-q Step Six: From Thesis to Essay Writing Mini-Q Essay Outline Guide Working Title Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? Paragraph #1 Grabber: Have you ever been so hungry that even an insect looked good? Background: Cabeza was born in Spain. Joined an expedition. Got stranded in east Texas. IMPORTANT For students new to DBOS, young students, and students needing extra writing support, see the Guided Essay form in the Teacher's Toolkit. Stating the question with key terms delined: How did Cabeza and his lriends stay alive for eight years in the wilderness? Thesis and road map: Cabeza survived for lhree main reasons: wilderness skills, healing powers, and good relations with the lndians. Paragraph #2 Baby Thesis lor bucket one: One reason Cabeza survived was wilderness skills. Evidence: supporting detail from documents with document citation Could eat almost anything (Doc B). Knew he needed to dig holes at night (Doc B). Spoke several languages (Doc B). Argument: connecling evidence to the thesis Eating anything gave him energy; holes and lire provided warmth; language meant triends. Paragraph #3 Baby Thesis for bucket two: A second reason Cabeza survived was his ability to heal. Evidence: Removing an arrowhead from a man's chest (Doc C). Argument: Power to heal amazed the lndians. They escorted him and his lriends. Gave them protection and food. Helped them stay alive. Paragraph #4 Baby Thesis for bucket three: A third reason Cabeza survived was his respect lor the lndians. Evidence: Relaci'n comparing lndian opinion of Spanish slavers with Cabeza (Doc D). Argument: Good relations make good friends, who will help you survive. Paragraph #5 Conclusion: Restatement of main idea along with possible insight or wrinkle Cabeza survived for three main reasons - his wilderness skills, his ability to heal, and his respect lor the lndians. Certainly he had luck, but mostly, he had brains and a big DBA Prolscl

23 From Thesis to Essay Writing Mini-Q Essay Outline Guide Working Title Paragraph #1 Grabber Background Stating the question with key terms defined Thesis and road map Paragraph #2 Baby Thesis for bucket one.^.. Evidence: supporting detail from documents with document citation Argument: connecting evidence to the thesis Paragraph #3 Baby Thesis for bucket two Evidence Argument Paragraph #4 Baby Thesis for bucket three Evidence Argument Paragraph #5 Conclusion: Restatement of main idea along with possible insight or wrinkle O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 23

24 Cabeza de Vaca Mini-O Mini-Q Sample Essay: Non-Proficient Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? Do you know what happened to the inky dinky spider? Cabeza ate him. Cabeza de Vaca was born in Spain and got shipwrecked in Texas in the 1Sth century. What helped him survive were two big things including spiders, collecting arrowheads, and linding the Christians. You and I don't eat spiders, or if we do, it is usually by mistake. I remember eating a worm once and my mother said it was really stupid but then she wasn't hungry like Cabeza was. The next reason Cabeza stayed alive was his arrowhead collection. He must have had a lot of them because he cut them out of people's chests (Doc C). Arrowheads can make good weapons and Cabeza could use them to shoot coyotes and things. The second reason Cabeza survived was the Christians. After walking many years he found some and they had horses, which he could then ride on to Mexico City unless he {ell off. That's about it. Cabeza was pretty amazing. lt just shows that you can become famous if you don't have stuff like food and clothes. Just hang in there. That's what my grandpa says and he pretty much has no clothes. Mini-Q Sample Essay: Basic Proliciency Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? Have you ever been so hungry that even an insect looked good? Cabeza de Vaca was born in Spain and joined an expedition to the New World in the 1520s. After a shipwreck, he got stranded in east Texas. A big question is how did he and his three surviving friends manage to stay alive for eight years and walk to Mexico City? There are three main reasons Cabeza survived: he had wilderness skills, he did healing, and he respected Native Americans. Cabeza survived because he had wilderness skills. For example, he was willing to eat things like roots, rats, and spiders (Doc B). Two, he knew how to stay warm by digging holes and burning fires at night (Doc B). Three, he could speak a few languages (Doc B). These three things helped him survive because they provided energy, warmth, and friends. A second reason Cabeza stayed alive is he knew how to heal people. ln one place in Mexico, he removed an arrowhead from a native person's chest with just a knile and a deer bone (Doc C). This ability to heal people amazed the lndians who helped him survive by giving much food and escorting him to the next place. Finally, Cabeza survived because he respected the lndians. When Cabeza and his lndian escorts finally did meet up with the Spanish, the lndians were clear how much they liked Cabeza, who didn't steal and lived simply like they did (Doc D). Cabeza survived because he treated the lndians like human beings and they returned the favor by helping along the way. Cabeza survived for three main reasons - his wilderness skills, his ability to heal, and his respect for the lndians. Certainly he had luck, but mostly he had a brain and a big heart. 2Ol3 Th DBO Prcj ct

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26 Mini-Q Sample Essay: Higher Proficiency Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? The odds were not good. There was Cabeza de Vaca, washed up on the beach of east Texas with no food, no clothes, winter coming on, and Mexico City a thousand miles away. Cabeza was one of the few survivors of a Spanish expedition to the unexplored region of Florida. Soon the number of men still alive would be only four. The question was, how would Cabeza and his three fellow survivors escape their slave condition and get to Mexico City alive? lt took a combination of luck and good decisions, but there were three main reasons they made it home: wilderness skills, healing powers, and good relations with the Native Americans. Cabeza's ability to survive in the dry wilderness of east Texas and northern Mexico was remarkable. First, he was able to eat just about anything. At times he lived only off the fruit of the prickly-pear cactus (Doc B). At other times he ate rats, roots, and even spiders (Doc B). Second, Cabeza knew how to battle the cold by digging a hole and building fires all around (Doc B). He also was smart about languages. Between him and his friends, they spoke six languages and were also able to sign (Doc B). Put all these wilderness skills together and you can see he survived because he was able to deal with hunger and cold temperatures, and have little talks with nervous lndians so they wouldn't kill him. Besides wilderness skills, Cabeza and his friends survived because they were healers. The lndians must have suffered from many diseases and injuries. Cabeza tried to help. At one point in northern Mexico, a man was broughtto him with an arrow point in his chest. Cabeza used his knife to cut out the point, and he used a deer bone to stitch up the wound (Doc C). The man survived and Cabeza and his friends became something like rock stars. lndian people began to escort the men as they continued their long journey home. The power of healing helped Cabeza survive because they were regarded as gods. They were given food and helped along the way. Without the power to heal, the men might have been left alone, unprotected. A final key to Cabeza's survival is that he and his friends really cared about the lndians. Cabeza saw the lndians as human beings just like himself. He was angry at the first Spaniards they met, who were on an expedition to catch and enslave lndians. The lndians stood up for Cabeza and appreciated that he gave away his possessions and did not steal, and that he went barefoot and needed little, just like them (Doc D). Cabeza's attitude toward Native Americans helped him survive because he was making friends, not enemies, all across northern Mexico. There is no better way to survive than to be surrounded by people who have your back. Wilderness skills, healing powers, friendship towards the Native Americans - all these things helped Cabeza get to Mexico City alive. Certainly he also needed some luck along the way. For example, he could easily have been lost at sea on his raft or lost the flame from his torch on a cold desert night. But Cabeza was more than lucky. He had big-time skills and an even bigger heart The DBQ Project

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28 TEACHER DOCUMENT LIST (CV) There are 4 documents in this Mini-Q. Students are provided with the same document list, but it is not divided into analytical categories or buckets. Students may develop buckets that are different from these. Context Document A: Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico (map) Wilderness Skills Document B:The Art of Survival (chart) Healing Powers Document C:The Surgeon Relations with Native Americans Document D: "We came from where the sun rose..." The DBO Project

29 Cabeza devaca: How Did He Survive? Cabeza de Vaca (center) among the Native Americans. Painting by Frederic Remington. Overview: On June LJ, 1527, Cabeza de Vaca sailed from the Spanish mainland with 600 settlers to establish colonies on the northem shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The trip went badly, and within a year nearly all the men in the expedition were dead. This Mini-Q is about Cabeza's eighryear struggle to stay alive and his remarkable journey from Florida to the Texas coast and, eventually, to Mexico City. The Documents: Document A: Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico (map) Document B: The Art of Survival (chart) Document C: The Surgeon Document D: "We came from where the sun rose..." A Mini Document Based Question 20'13 The DBQ Projecr 29 This page may be reproduced for classroom use

30 Cabeza de Vaca Mini-O The Hook Teacher Note: The purpose of the Hook Exercise is to create some initial interest in the Cabeza de Vaca Mini-Q. You may want to mention to students that many of the details in these three survival situations are similar to those described by Cabeza himself. Read the three situations aloud to the class. Then divide students into pairs or groups of three, assigning one situation to each. Give students several minutes to discuss the situation and what they would do. Allow a lew minutes at the end tor students to share their responses with everyone. Historical notes to drop into the discussion:. Cabeza historian Andres Resendez informs us that the Gulf Coast ol Texas is home to perhaps the richest variety of mosquitoes in North America - 81 known species. Acting together, mosquitoes can bring down a large animal. Thousands of bites can kill a person.. Each summer, bands of nomadic lndians would move to the prickly-pear cactus fields of southeast Texas to gorge themselves on cactus lruit. Juice squeezed from the lruit could also stave off thirst. However, prickly-pear plants only produce lruit every other year, and low rainfall could aflect crop yield. A bad season would have had a devastating impact on native tribes.. The coastal region of east Texas, south of Galveston, was very difficult to navigate on foot. Abounding wetlands, estuaries, bays, mosquitoes and lndian groups made it an inhospitable place for Spaniards. lt is also a historical fact that many conquistadors did not know how to swim. Possible solutions to the three predicaments: Situation #1: Seek refuge in a pool of water. Cover body with mud, leaving air holes lor mouth and nose. Use the flint to start a smudge fire by burning wet wood. Mosquitoes don't like smoke. Situation #2: Using sign language, show the hunters that you, too, are hungry, and offer them some of your fruit. lndicate that you can lead them to prickly-pear plants in the morning. Do not surrender your flint. lt could well mean hypothermia and death. Situation #3: Swallow your fear and make contact with the locals. They probably lish {or some of their food and have dugout canoes for crossing the river. Failing that, find a large log and, under cover of night, kick-paddle your way across the river. However, the fact remains that you are in big trouble. You probably will need human assistance at some point. 30 O 2013 The DBO Proloci

31 Hook Exercise: Cabeza de Vaca Directions: Below are three common dangers that faced Native Americans and European explorers in Mexico in the 16th and 17th centuries. With a partner or in a small group, discuss each situation and what you might have done to stay alive. When finished, answer the summary question. Danger #1: Gulf Coast Mosquitoes You are wandering, lost and alone, in swampy wetlands off San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. With every step, the thick mud sucks on your bare feet. You have a piece of flint, some deer meat for food, and are wearing nothing but a small deerskin hide. The June sun is setting and swarms of mosquitoes cover your body, entering your nostrils and mouth with every breath. You are desperate. What do you do? Be specif,rc. Danger #2: Armed Strangers You are trekking alone in the dry prickly-pear region of southeast Texas. The prickly-pear cactus fruit is the only food you have eaten in ten days. The pickings have been thin. As you are making your evening fire with your precious flint, a band of six hunters suddenly appears. They are carrying spears but no game. Like you, their ribs show clearly through their skin. They are speaking in an unknown language. They look at you sternly and motion for you to drop your flint and pile of precious fruit, and to walk away into the cold 40-degree night. What do you do? Danger #3: River Crossing You are one of two survivors of a Spanish expedition that has shipwrecked off the Gulf Coast of Texas. Together you decide to walk 400 miles down the coast to the closest Spanish outpost. One huge problem is that you must cross a deep river nearly 200 yards wide - and neither of you knows how to swim. You have seen signs of native people in the area (a fishnet here, a footprint there) and are terrified by shipboard tales of cannibalism. What do you do? Summary question: Which of these situations scares you the most? 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 31

32 Establishing the Context General lnstructions. Review the Timeline.. Pre-teach the bold{aced vocabulary.. Have students read the Background Essay or read it aloud.. Have students answer the Background Essay questions. Specific Considerations The main purpose of the Background Essay is to create a context for the Mini-Q exercise. Its job is to provide a sense of time, place and story, and to introduce important vocabulary and concepts. Doing this well gives all students a more equal chance to succeed with the Mini-Q. Time: Be sure students review the Timeline. Christopher Columbus died in How old was Cabeza at that time? (16 years old.) How many years before Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of lndependence did Cabeza land on the beaches of Galveston lsland? (1776 * 1528 = 248 years.) ln terms of the history of the United States, Cabeza lived long ago. His story goes back about 500 years - half a millennium. lt is good for students to have a sense of that expanse of time. Place: Refer to a wall map showing the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Review the path of the Narvaez expedition from Seville, Spain, to the Canary lslands, to Cuba to Tampa Bay. From the Gulf basin, trace the route shown in the Background Essay map from Tampa Bay to Apalachee Bay to the Mississippi delta to Galveston lsland. Story: We suggest reading the Background Essay aloud. lt is good for students, even strong readers, to hear the words as they see them. For many, it is important to hear the cadence of the language, to experience pauses and emphasis. Use the Background Essay questions to review the text. Vocabulary and Concepts: You may want to pre-teach the five bold-faced terms in the essay. Our feeling about vocabulary is that some pre-teaching is good, but keep the word list short. When reading aloud, see how much students can get from context. 32 O 20'13 The DBQ Project

33 Background Essay Cabeza de Vaca Mini-Q In the spring of 1527, five Spanish ships left the port of Seville and set sail for the New World. The leader of the expedition was a conquistador named Panfilo de Narvaez, who had a dream to establish settlements along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Among the members of his party was Cabeza de Vaca, a 37 -yearold military veteran who would serve as the expedition's treasurer. After wintering in Cuba, Narvaez set out for northeastern Mexico. However, tricky currents in the Gulf of Mexico each large enough to carry 50 men. Every few days one of the remaining horses was killed and eaten. The goal was no longer colonization or riches; it was survival. Carrying fresh water stored in hollowed-out horse legs, the expedition pushed off with Cabeza commanding one of the rafts. Several weeks into the journey, hunger and thirst began to take their toll; the men grew weak and suffered bouts of insanity. Somewhere near the Mississippi River, a strong wind blew the five rafts out to sea. After several desperate days, Cabeza's raft drifted back to shore. Cabeza de Vaca: How Did He Survive? Historians now believe that Cabeza and his fellow castaways landed on modern-day Galveston Island, Texas. A second raft was blown ashore on the same island, which the men named Isle de Malhado, the Island of Bad Luck. The other three rafts were never seen again. In a matter of days, 250 men had dwindled to 80. Within months, the number would drop to 18. Within a year, it would be four. One of those four was Cabeza. The island on which Cabeza landed in pushed the ships off course, and Narvaez, hope- November 152g was not deserted. It was popu_ lessly confused, made accidental landfall near lated by two Native American bands, each modern-day Tampa Bay. ; f-16-ior.,roi.,"* I. L,o "ft' Florida. In withabout400people, a decision that ) I I I each with its own lanwould prove fateful.. I ^ L ; at, ^\rr,- guage. lnitially, the Narvaez ordered 300 men l:: ",,,,j d_ i:..1,, o&t!;,l' I inat-un, acted as rhe to leave the ships and ;t'*,ruffil!h$f:y/""\\^. march inland on a search I,u.rirorr,caretakers. rn time, however, they N, EW *lr.t misery, Cabezamanaged for treasure. They would L t / \J li '].,,'ury Gulf or of I became slave masrers. never see their shins again' Dlex'co Mexico I f L--,.-tii'fi.:..,... " i I After two years of After two difficult I ;!f,("-:**.r"yg;q months,narvaezandhisl,+,*_*-]toescape,joiningamainmen arrived at Apalachee SP, [,sr{,{.t't l:::::t:t \ Caribbean Seo ::' Bay with no treasure, no I -'--'- Charrucos. The caribbeansea I land band called the ships in sight, and little Cabeza de Vaca's ill-fated voyage Chamrcos gave Cabeza food. Narvaez knew only that he had to travel the freedom to trade their goods among nearby west to get to Mexico. He ordered that flrearms Indian groups, exchanging shells for hides and be melted down to make tools to build five rafts, flint for animal hearts. Then, in the fall of L532, Cabeza miragulously met up with three fellow survivors who had been enslaved by other Indian groups. After two years of waiting for the right moment, the three men were finally able to slip away from their Indian masters and walk to Mexico City. The journey would take 2l months and would require a special combination of skill, patience, and the goodwill of many Native Americans met along the way. Read the four documents that follow and answer the question asked by this Mini-Q, "How did Cabeza de Vaca survive?" O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 33

34 Document A: Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico (map) Content Notes:. Cabeza de Vaca's journey from the Florida peninsula to Mexico City lasted eight years and three months, nearly three times what it took Magellan's fleet to sail around the world ten years earlier. Cabeza and his three fellow survivors were probably the first human beings to fully traverse the entire North American continent.. The precise route taken by Cabeza is not certain. However, historians have worked hard to match Cabeza's descriptions with geographic landmarks. The reason for the broad swath on the map is to account for some uncertainties.. Much of what we know about Cabeza's odyssey comes from his Relacion (referred to by some as "The Narrative") published in Spain in 1542, five years after returning from Mexico City. lt is wonderfully informative about Native American cultures and the travails of Cabeza's journey. lt is not always clear, however, what happened when and where.. Most historians who have tracked Cabeza believe his raft landed on Galveston lsland. Cabeza and the survivors called it lsle de Malhado, the lsland of Bad Luck. Cabeza's time on Malhado was very difficult. We know that in the early 16th century, temperatures were generally cooler than today. We also know that the winter ol was particularly harsh.. Cabeza's eventual escape and trek to Mexico City is best understood as a kind of relay in which he and his three escaped comrades would accompany an lndian band for several days or weeks and then be passed off to another band. By the time the castaways reached the Rio Grande, their reputation as healers preceded them, and the size of their lndian escort grew. Students will discover this when they get to Document C.. When Cabeza and friends reached the area near Rio San Lorenzo in the summer of 1535, they surprisingly headed northwest, away from Mexico City. We are not sure why. Possibly it was warnings from his escorts that the lndian bands along the coast and south of the Rio Grande were not friendly. Whatever the reason, the survivors certainly took the long way home. Once they turned away from the Gulf, the Sierra Madres forced them back north beficre they could again turn west and then south. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. ln what year did Cabeza's raft wash ashore in east Texas? November Cabeza escaped from his lndian captors in About how long did it take him to walk from the east Texas coast to Mexico City? almost two years 3. About how many miles was this walk? The jagged route from Galveston lsland to Mexico City was at least 2,500 miles, and probably more. 4. What details on the map indicate that this is a tough landscape to survive? mountains, desert, unfriendly lndians, absence of towns. Be sure students are clear that Cabeza was not alone in his trek to Mexico City. He was joined by three other survivors:alonso Castillo and Andres Dorantes, fellow officers on the expedition, and Dorantes's North African slave, known only as Estabanico. Each had special talents. Estabanico was very outgoing, quick to learn languages, and was much loved by the lndian women, something that Cabeza had to downplay in his Relaci6n. 34 O The DBQ Project

35 Document A Source: Map created from various sources. Cabeza's Trek Across Texas and Mexico O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 35

36 Document B: The Art of Survival (chart) Content Notes:. The lact that Cabeza forever after referred to Apalachee Bay as the Bay of Horses suggests something of the desperation of lhe moment. Having melted down their guns to build rafts, the 250 survivors were then lorced to slaughter their horses lor lood and thus gave up their iast advan_ tages over the native population - horses and arms. The horse-leg water bags worked for a while, but after several weeks on the rafts they rotted, the water turned rancid, and thirst became a killer.. Cabeza's ability to live on litfle,ood was remarkable. At one point in northwest Mexico, he set out across the barren deserl with only a very small portion ol deer suet to last several days. ln his Belacidn, Cabeza says that even the lndians were stunned by how little he needed to luel his body and keep going.. The number of languages that the four survivors encountered was an ongoing wonder to Cabeza. together, the four men appear to have learned six languages, plus sign language. Most of these were acquired in east Texas and did them litfle good south of the Rio Grande. lt is striking howimall and parochial some of the language groups must haveieen. For example, Galveston lsland, which is only 27 miles long, was home to two indigenous peoples, the Hans and the Capoque. Thdtwo bands had llmited contact, and each spoke a lan_ guage unintelligible to the other. Each numbered only about 400 people. Negotiating one,s way through hundreds ol languages with minimum misunderstandings is truly a survival skill. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. Give one example each of how Cabeza dealt with thirst and hunger. Thirst: stored water in hollowed-oul horse legs. Hunger: was willing to eat a wide range of food to stay alive, including rats and spiders. 2. How can the ability to speak a language save your life? Language helps you to get directions, find food and water, and make friends. 3. Besides providing warmth, how might Cabeza's tour fires have helped him stay alive? The cross design may have been an efforl to seek God's help. Cabeza was a Spanish Catholic, and this was a very religious time in Spain. Signaling lo God probabty helped him keep his faith and stay positive. 4. What is the main idea of lhis document? How does it explain why Cabeza survived? The main idea of the document is that survival depends upon many skills, some not so obvious at first. Ability to get lresh water and food is key. So are language sktlls, developing good relations (irusl) with people who can help, and maintaining hope and faith.. Discuss Cabeza's two years as an itinerant trader. While living with the Charrucos and serving as a slave, Cabeza gradually won their confiden;e and was entrusted with carrylng goods like shell scrapers and possrbly pearls into the interior to trade for hides. The lndians apparenfly saw Cabeza as a sate go-between. Using sign language, he was able to deal with the many different groups he encountered. Ask students to think about how this helped Cabeza to survive. (He learned lo be at ease with dilferent peoples; he learned the lay ol the land in east Texas, which was important should he ever decide to escape; he sharpened his foraging skills.). Summary question for studenls: Of all the survival situations mentioned on the chart, which do you think dld the most to keep Cabeza ative? Tho DBO protgcl

37 Cabeza de Vaca Mini-Q Document B Source: Compiled lrom The RelaciSn of Atvar Nufiez Cabeza de Vaca, 1542, lhe explorer's personal account of his long adventure. The Art of Survival Date Problem Cabeza's Response Oct Thirst With other raft survivors adrift in the gulf of Mexico, Cabezadrank water stored in hollowed-out horse-leg containers. L Periodic hunger Distrust As a slave, Cabeza ate what was available, including beries, mollusks, rats, roots. lizards, snakes, and spiders. Cabeza befriended his captors and was therefore allowed to serve as a trader among Indian bands living within 150 miles of the Gulf Coast' Communication ts34 Cold / Despair Cabezalearned four Indian languages, including Charuccos, plus sign language. Lost and completely naked, Cabeza happened on a smoldering tree that had been struck by lightning. He lit a branch in the dying flames and kept the torch burning as he walked. Each night he huddled in a hole that he'd-dug and-''around that pit placed four fires like the points of a cross." 37 O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use

38 Cabeza de Vaca Mini-O Document C: The Surgeon Content Notes:. The surgery performed by Cabeza is known as a sagittectomy. His skill was so remarkable that the operalion was the subject of an article in The New England Journal of Medicine (Dec. 27, 1979).. Stories ol healings are laced lhroughout lhe Relaci6n. Only Alonso Castillo is known to have had any medical experience belore landing in Florida, and that was obtained merely by observing his lather, who was a physician back in Spain. All lour men practiced healing with the lndians. At first, it was mostly by making the sign of the cross over the patient and saying a few Pater Nosters. With lime, howeve( their confidence grew and they began to believe that God had singled them out lor this work. There are many accounts of successlul healing in Cabeza's narrative, but none ol failure.. The healing powers ol the travelers had a powerful ellect on the many lndian groups they encountered. Each time the men tried to resume their lourney, the natives were reluctant to let them go, often accompanying them for days until the ne)d lndian group was encountered. ln their great walk across northern Mexico in the fall ol 1535, Cabeza and his three fellow castaways were accompanied lor days by as many as 4,000 lndians. Throughout, the four men were treated like royalty, even gods. Teaching Tips:. Discuss the Document Analysis questions: 1. What was wrong with the man who was brought to Cabeza? What tool did Cabeza use to perform the operation? The man had an arrowhead lodged in his chest, just above the heart. Cabeza used a knife to cut oul the arrow point. 2. What details in the painting are supported by Cabeza's account of the operation? The lndians accompanying the patient; the knile in Cabeza's hand: the blood and the palient's pained expression indicate a deep cut. 3. How does this document help answer the question, "How did Cabeza de Vaca survive?" Cabeza and his fellow travelers were apparently quite successful in their healing practices. A reputation for being great healers might guarantee sale passage across the land, at least as long as they were successful. Also, Cabeza and his three companions believed that God had a hand in their powers to heal. lt must have given a great boost to their conlidence and therefore their survival.. Discuss the power ol healing. Might the men actually have been given divine powers to heal as a means to get them home safely? How important is lhe power ol positive thinking in the healing process, both by the healer and the patient? ln the Relacidn, Cabeza reveals his beliet thal he had been given a special power by God, and took no personal credit for his successes.. Discuss more lully with students the role that healing might have had in the survival of the four travelers. The size o, the enlourage grew as they got nearer to the Pacilic Coast. The four men were said to have "come lrom the sky" and were showered with the best food available. Do students think that Cabeza and his companions would have made it lrom easl Texas to lvlexico City if they had not practiced healing? OBO Projsct

39 Document C Source: The Relaci6n of Alvar Nufiez Cabeza de Vaca, Note: ln this excerpt from his narrative, Cabeza describes an operation he pedormed in 1535 on a Native American living near the Rio Nadadores. lt is believed to be the first documented surgery done in North America. Here they brought me a man, and they told me that a long time ago he had been wounded through the right shoulder with an arrow, and the point of the arrow rested over his heart... With a knife that I had,i opened his chest to that place... I inserted the knife point, and with great difficulty, at last I pulled it out. It was very long and, with a deer bone,... I gave him two stitches. And two days later, I removed the two stitches from the Indian and he was healed. And this cure gave us a very great reputation among them throughout the whole land. Source: Painting by Thomas Lea, courtesy of Moody Medical Library, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. O 2013 The DBQ Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use 39