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The second part of this chronicle is just as interesting and at times difficult to read as the first. De Las Casas continues the tone of the first half by descriptively explaining the violence and torture endured by the indigenous peoples. Also his writing style similarly continues throughout the second half of the book with extensive repetition. One of the many points which he repeated was, “Desta dejó perdida y asolada y despoblada una provincial riquísima de gente y oro que tiene un valle de cuarenta leguas, y en ella quemó pueblo que tenía mil casas” (64). He continuously commented on how wonderful the people and land were. In my opinion this would only further encourage the king of Spain to continue the conquest of the ‘New World’. Nonetheless, this chronicle is very unusual for this time period. I greatly enjoyed reading work from a different perspective and even though it was written from a European’s point of view it went against the typical mindset of its time. De Las Casas described this time as a cruel, unjust and intolerable conquest rather than a much needed and celebrated European discovery.

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In the first half of Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias it is apparent that De Las Casas is writing for a cause. I do not see any selfish intentions within his writing. Although he is not against colonization and evangelization he does not seem to seek any personal gains from his chronicle. He genuinely is seeking aid for the people of the Americas. De Las Casas uses strong rhetoric to get his point across to his intended reader. The indigenous people are being tortured and the Spanish are not acting like good Christians; “…que en todas las partes de las Indias donde han ido y pasado cristianos, siempre hicieron en los indios todas las crueldades susodichas …en aquellas inocentes gentes.” (pg. 24)

Among all the justifiably used vocabulary to describe the actions of the Spanish, there was one quote that stood out especially. It describes the despair the Indigenous people faced and allows the reader to feel their hopelessness; “Aquellos son los caminos por donde íbamos a servir a los cristianos y, aunque trabajábamos mucho, en fin volvíamonos a cabo de algún tiempo a nuestras casas y a nuestras mujeres y hijos; pero agora vamos sin esperanza de nunca jamás volver ni verlos ni de tener más vida.” (pg. 31)

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The second part of the chronicle was very different from that of the first. One of the things that stood out the most is that Cabeza de Vaca reached/portrayed himself as a ‘god-like’ figure. He now also was a healer, peacemaker and an evangelizer. As a healer Cabeza de Vaca was not only able to cure the sick but also revive the dead; “A la noche se volvieron a sus casas, y dijeron que aquel que estaba muerto…se había levantado bueno y se había paseado, y comido, y hablado con ellos.” (p. 158) I wonder, did Cabeza de Vaca’s healing abilities continue to work when he returned to Europe?

Cabeza de Vaca mentions that at times the indigenous people would cry for him when he left to continue in his travels. Does this show that he truly had a strong and positive relationship with the community? Or is Cabeza de Vaca only trying to further advance his image to the reader?

Another interesting element to this part of Naufragios was how Cabeza de Vaca wrote about his attempts at evangelization. It seemed evident that evangelization was to be a big part of his exploration but I found the process seemed rushed in Cabeza de Vaca’s writing and his voyage. The entire issue of evangelization was cramped into a small few chapters towards the end and touched on only sporadically on a few pages throughout. The way Cabeza de Vaca wrote about evangelization in chapters XXXV and XXXVI it seemed as though he had left this issue too late into his voyage and now had to rush the topic before leaving.

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After reading the first half of this novel it is apparent through its rhetoric that Cabeza de Vaca wanted his accounts to be taken seriously. He wanted these records to be seen as true accounts of what happened during his journeys and voyages. It seems credible because he writes to, ‘Vuestra Majestad’ and trusts in the protection and the better good of, ‘Dios’. He also spends a lot of time pumping himself up and making himself sound as immaculate as possible. Cabeza de Vaca’s accounts are similar to many other historical sources which I have read where the voyager documents his journeys in a very detailed and repetitive manner which lacks fictional appeal. This narrative is very drawn out and rhetorically lacks excitement. However, after reading the introduction of this book I realized that most likely very much of this narrative was fictional or at least greatly exaggerated. Cabeza de Vaca comes across as slightly arrogant and heroic.

Cabeza de Vaca had intended for his work to be regarded as truthful and educational. Whether or not it is believed that these accounts are fictional or not, this novel can still be very useful as a primary source. However, after realizing that he exaggerated and altered many different aspects to his written accounts I prefer to read this novel as a very well researched fiction. For example, both Cabeza de Vaca and Garcilaso de la Vega separately describe the province of Apalache so differently; “…se llegará a la conclusion que se están describiendo dos tierras completamente diferentes.” (60) I believe that Cabeza de Vaca gives a stereotypical account of his first encounters only to further his novel and name among an audience that has an already pre-determined notion of what they want to hear regarding the new world.

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Me llamo Jessica y tengo 23 años. Me encanta aprender idiomas y por supuesto el español es mi favorito. Yo viajo mucho y encontré mi segunda casa en Caracas, Venezuela, de dondé es mi esposo. Me alegra mucho estar en esta clase porque sé que voy a aprender muchas cosas nuevas y también tengo una buena oportunidad para practicar y mejorar mi español.