Relation et Naufrages

What it is

This is the title page of an 1837 French translation of Cabeza de Vaca's Naufragios, his account of the failed Narváez conquistador expedition of 1527. It was published in Paris as part of a collection of original voyages and accounts relating to the discovery of America.

Why it matters

The translation shows how Cabeza de Vaca's centuries-old narrative was rediscovered and brought back into circulation during the 19th century, a period of growing European interest in exploration history. It demonstrates how a primary account can take on new life and new readers long after it was written.

Look closer

• Why might French scholars in the 1830s have been interested in translating a 16th-century Spanish account?
• What might change in meaning when a text is translated into another language three centuries later?
• What does the title of the larger collection suggest about how editors wanted readers to understand this text?