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Primary sourceBook1891

The Conquest of the River Plate

Luis L. Dominguez (editor) · 1891

An 1891 volume pairing Ulrich Schmidt's voyage account with Cabeza de Vaca's own commentaries on his governorship in Paraguay.

Includes Cabeza de Vaca's own commentaries on his governorship of the Río de la Plata region.

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About this source

What it is

This 1891 book combines two primary accounts: Ulrich Schmidt's narrative of his voyage to the Río de la Plata and Paraguay, translated from the original German edition, and the commentaries written by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca about his time as governor in the region.

Why it matters

Bringing these two accounts together lets historians compare different eyewitnesses to the same period of Spanish colonization in South America. Cabeza de Vaca's section reflects his later career as a governor, after his earlier survival story in North America.

Look closer

  • Why might editors choose to publish two different writers' accounts of the same region together?
  • What can comparing Schmidt's and Cabeza de Vaca's accounts reveal that one source alone cannot?
  • What is missing from these European accounts about the Indigenous peoples of South America?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Book

Primary source

The Account and Commentaries of Governor Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca · 1542

Title page of La relacion y comentarios del gouerna dor Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, 1555, with a woodcut coat of arms of two eagles and a shield flanked by pillars, printed in black and red. Handwritten notes appear at top and bottom, and a Harvard College Library stamp is at lower left.Book

Primary source

La relación y comentarios del gouernador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca · 1555

Title page of a 16th-century Spanish book in black letter type. Large heading reads COMMENTARIOS, with text naming Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, governor of the Rio de la Plata province. A woodcut coat of arms with a crown sits mid-page, and a blue Harvard College Library stamp appears at upper right. Printed dedication text is at the bottom.Book

Secondary source

Comentarios de Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Pero Hernández · 1555

Open book in a display case showing two pages of old printed text in French with decorative woodcut initials and an illustration of a cactus-like plant. A label to the right reads partially 'Chron... Amer... Gonzalo Valdés... L'histoire... Printed... Paris... Purchased... Oviedo...'Book

Secondary source

Historia general y natural de las Indias

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés · 1556 (French edition); original work 16th century

Black ink handwritten signature on white background, with large looping flourishes in cursive script above and a smaller line of script below, underlined by a long stroke.Document

Primary source

Signature of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca · reproduced 1886, original signature undated

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