Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (1490–1559) was a Spanish explorer, conquistador, and colonial administrator who is best known for his eight-year journey through the American Southwest and northern Mexico. He was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and served as the treasurer of the Spanish expedition to Florida in 1527. After the expedition was shipwrecked off the coast of Texas, Cabeza de Vaca and three other survivors spent the next eight years traveling through the region, trading with Native Americans and learning about their cultures. In 1536, he returned to Spain and wrote an account of his journey, which became one of the earliest published works about the American Southwest. He later served as the governor of the Spanish province of Rio de la Plata in South America, where he was accused of mistreating the indigenous people and was removed from office. He died in Seville, Spain, in 1559.
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