About this episode

The episode discusses Cabeza de Vaca's journey and experiences in Native America 500 years ago.

Almost exactly 500 years ago, a shipwrecked Spaniard named Cabeza de Vaca and three companions made the first trans-continental journey in the history of the American West. Then he wrote down his account of eight years in Native America, one of the great First Contact stories of all time. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.  YouTube , Spotify , Apple , iHeart , Pandora , Amazon . MeatEater on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Youtube , and Youtube Clips Check out more MeatEater's American History audio originals " The Long Hunters " and " Mountain Men " Subscribe to The MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop  MeatEater Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: MeatEater

Topics covered

• exploration
• history
• Native America
• shipwreck
• trans-continental journey

Keywords

• Cabeza de Vaca
• journey
• Native America
• shipwreck
• First Contact
• American West

Mentioned in this episode

Places: American West

More episodes of The American West

• Ep. 32: Loving the Plains, Hating the Plains, Rewilding the Plains · June 9, 2026 · 58 min
• Ep. 30: Jesus and Animus Beneath the Bitterroots · May 26, 2026 · 53 min
• Ep. 29: What Were Charlie Russell and L.A. Huffman Trying to Tell Us? · May 19, 2026 · 50 min
• Ep. 28: Understanding Nature in a Southwestern State · May 12, 2026 · 48 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The American West podcast page.