The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919 Page: 256
521 p. : ill. (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
but the reversal of the track of the Coronado expedition, which
came through the Sonora valley from south to north a few years
later. This portion of the route was fully discussed by Br. Bas-
kett, and with our present knowledge of the topography of this
region we see no reason to question the correctness of his con-
clusions with regard to it.
14. Credibility of the Narratives
Scholars differ as to the importance and credibility to be ac-
corded the Cabeza de Vaca narratives. Judge Coopwood discred-
its them utterly, except in so far as it suits him to believe them.
This view is refuted by Oviedo, who says that Cabeza de Vaca's
statements enjoyed general credence at Madrid in 1547. This
was after the failures of De Soto and Coronado, and after Cabeza
de Vaca himself had been sent home in disgrace from the Rio
de, la. Plata, so that Cabeza de Vaca's reputation for good faith
and veracity had then been subjected to the severest possible tests.
Bancroft and Bandelier voice a criticism much more insidious
and dangerous. This is that the narratives, though presented in
good faith, are unreliable and of little import because written
from recollections only, under adverse circumstances, without aid
from journals or field notes of any kind. Since Bancroft says
that the two narratives, while agreeing in a general way, differ
widely as to dates, directions, distances and all that could aid in
tracing the route, while in Bandelier's opinion the Oviedo nar-
rative is merely a more concise narration than the book of Cabeza
de Vaca, and differs from it so little that it is unworthy of pub-
lication. Neither of these opinions appears to be entitled to much
consideration.
The Oviedo account is couched in very ungrammatical Spanish,
not easy to translate without paraphrasing, and Bandelier makes
the same complaint with regard to Cabeza de Vaca's book, yet
the meaning is always sufficiently plain. The accounts read like
the testimony of two unbiased witnesses to the same transactions.
The general facts related are the same, but they are told from
different view points and with varying details. There is some
confusion as to dates in the Oviedo account, and Cabeza de Vaca
is often indefinite as to directions, and needs to be aided from
Oviedo. Estimates of distances in the two accounts are gen-256
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919, periodical, 1919; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117156/m1/270/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.