the mind of chapiz

In the book as well as in the movie it talks about how Cabeza de Vaca had followers everywhere he went.  He mentions that his followers were with him when he cured someone and even when he revived the other person.  When we were in class I remember that we all talked about different things that were mention on the text that give reference to God and things that the bible talks about.  In this portion of the story it seems to me that he was describing himself as Jesus Christ.  He does not actually compare himself with Jesus, but the things that he points out are similar to what the bible said Jesus did.  The Indian in the movie that was with him all the time could be consider as his closest disciple.  The other two Spaniards could be consider to be Judas Iscariot because they were with him throughout the entire time, but as soon as they got to the other Spaniards they turn their backs on him.  In another aspect, Cabeza de Vaca could also be consider the Moses of the Indians.  The bible talks about Moses going to the pharaoh and telling him to let his people go free.  Like Moses Cabeza de Vaca had grow up as a Spaniard, but then found himself living with the Indians who became his people, his family.  When confronted again with the other Spaniards as Moses with the pharaoh, he stood up to them and asked them to let his people (the Indians) go free.  He tried to send the Indians far away from the Spaniards; Moses also took all the Jews as far away as he could from the pharaoh and his army.    

Cuando escribía sobre la transformación de Cabeza de Vaca también me acorde sobre la frase, ni de aquí ni de allá.  La primera vez que escuche esta frase fue en una película.  Cuando reflexionaba sobre lo que significaba, me di cuenta que hablaba de mi.  Yo nací en Honduras pero me crié en Estados Unidos, así que lo que debería tener de hondureña se me ha perdido al igual que el apellido porque me case con un mexicano☺. Aunque toda mi vida la eh vivido aquí yo misma no me considero que esté americanizada al igual que los que son nacidos aquí no me consideran americana cien por ciento.  La manera que yo fui educada es lo típico de una familia hispana pero mis metas ó mis formas de pensar son como las de este país.  Muchas de mis amistades son hispanas pero ni con ellas me puedo identificar como completamente hispana porque me hacen burla de que estoy más de este lado que del otro por mi forma de hablar.  Cuando uno nace ó crece en este país ya no pertenece cien por ciento a su grupo de origen.  ¿A alguno de ustedes les ha pasado esto ó se han sentido de esta forma? 

It’s an interesting point when Juan Bruce-Novoa said, “metamorphosing him into an incongruent hybrid”.  This just lets us know that Caveza de Vaca had turned into something completely different from the ones that surrounded him.  Even though he had come to the new land as a Spaniard and had lived there as an Indian, he was returning to
Spain as a changed man.  All the other Spaniards could think of him as a Spaniard; deep down inside of him he no longer belongs to them, but instead he belonged to a new kind of “race”.  The text gives you the illusion that CdV was gradually evolving into something new that set him apart not only from the Spaniards, but from the Indians also.  When I read the part about CdV  being different, it brought to mind the movie Spider Man because he was no longer just a regular man nor was he  a spider, he is something new that evolved.  In my point of view Cabeza de Vaca was transformed because of all the suffering he went through and because he got to understand the “other” as a human like him self.