La Relacion Chapter Summary

The New World: Similarities and Differences

When the first groups of people began migrating to America, they all had different ideas of the way their lives would be different in the New World. Each group came to America pursuing different things: religious freedom, new resources, a different life. Yet regardless of what they came for, they were all yearning for the same thing: a fresh start.

In La Relacion, the narrator and his crew were coming from Spain and landed in what we know today as Tampa Bay, Florida. The main purpose of the explorers was to find gold, take it back to their home country, and receive fame and wealth in return for their discovery. The main leader of the expedition was a Spanish explorer named Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. He is the narrator of this story, providing the first European account of the interior of the New World. Cabeza de Vaca is primarily concerned with how the king sees him when they return to Spain; he does not want to be seen as a failure. Therefore, when writing his account, he tends to only speak of his own heroic actions. In Of Plymouth Plantation, William

Bradford was simply writing his account of their first years after landing in Cape Cod in 1620. He was one of the Pilgrims who had come to America fleeing religious persecution. He had no reason to speak of his own accomplishments in place of others like Cabeza de Vaca did. Therefore, he tended to speak of how his fellow Pilgrims were becoming profitable members of society.
Cabeza de Vaca not only exaggerated his own actions, but also spoke poorly of the actions of his crew.

For example, in the first paragraph he spoke of how he took the tiller because all of his men were either passed out or too weak to do so. Also, he made it seem like he had eaten nothing but raw corn since they left on their voyage, leaving the other food for his crew. Although he supposedly let them have all the food, he was somehow still stronger than the rest of his men! This was, of course, because he needed the king to see him as the hero of the story. Bradford, on the other hand, did not make his sailors seem helpless. He gave credit where credit was due. He tended to give God the glory for their provisions as well. Also, his crew seemed to overall have a pleasant attitude in comparison to de Vaca’s account. However, that could be due to Vaca’s extreme

bias.
Also, the people’s relationship with the natives was completely different in each of these stories. In La Relacion, the Indians were extremely helpful towards the newcomers. Although they had been stolen from, they saw that what had been stolen from them was necessities, such as a pot to cook with. Therefore, they chose to provide food and necessities, especially because the men were nearly dead. In Of Plymouth Plantation, the Indians were not as comfortable with the newcomers, and did not welcome them as readily. Finally, one bold native approached the men and to their surprise, began speaking English. A few days later, he brought their chief and several others to make peace, which went on for several decades. The Indians not only offered food to the foreigners, but also provided them with the knowledge necessary to let them thrive for years afterwards. This relationship was very important to their survival, as they were taught many skills necessary to survive. Also, through the Indians, the Pilgrims got to experience their first Thanksgiving, a tradition that still goes on to this day.
The two groups of people that we see in these stories have a few things in common, such as the trouble they encountered, whether it be with the weather or the Native Americans. Ultimately though, the character of the leaders, the actions of the crew members, and the interactions with the Indians are all defining points that distinguish these accounts.