This episode continues the shocking story of the doomed Narváez expedition and its almost unbelievable struggle to survive. In this episode, the expedition begins to unravel in Florida, and cooks up a crazy scheme to send 250 men across the Gulf of Mexico on rafts. All of this ends up with the "discovery" of Texas! And, of course, a lot of dead Spanish.

Subscribe to The History of the Americans by email!

Selected references for this episode

Andrés Reséndez, A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, The Account: Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion, An Annotated Translation by Martin A. Favata and Jose B. Fernandez

Alex D. Krieger, We came Naked and Barefoot: The Journey of Cabeza de Vaca Across North America

Gonzalo Fernandez Oviedo y Valdez and Harbert Davenport, “The Expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez,” The Southwestern Historical Quarterly

David Ewing Duncan, Hernando De Soto: A Savage Quest in the Americas

The route of the rafts across the Gulf (map on thehistoryoftheamericans.com):

The route of the rafts across the Gulf of Mexico (credit Andrés Reséndez)