September 14, 1542

It was a long, rough and tiring journey but I made it to the end. I traveled all the way from Spain, to Florida and the southwestern cost. Now I’m in Mexico City but I am heaing back to Europe. Over the past few years, I have been writing a book and it just got published. This book was about my whole exploring experience. My book is titled La Relación, which means the report in Spanish. Hopefully my book will inspire others to take on the adventure I did. This whole book was written as a report just for Charles V.

April 22, 1537

I’m back in Spain. Thank God for my new ship, or else I never would able to make it here. My two comrades Alonso de Castillo and Andres Dorantes each had an engagement that prevented them each to accompany me. Castillo had to celebrate the marriage of him and he wife. While Dorantes had intentions on coming with me. However, later on changed his mind and ended up staying in Vera Cruz. I just bought three more new ships to carry on. They cost roughly about fourteen thousand ducados which is more than I could afford so much of it was borrowed from Pedro Dorantes.

May 7, 1536

We are settled in Buenos Aires right now. However, it doesn’t look like we will be here for much longer. The Natives have a bone to pick with us. Pedro de Mendoza (governer of settlement) had to head out here with us. While he is here, he had to appoint
Juan de Ayolas as lieutenant governor to take his place. Unfortunately enough, while heading out to fight the war that the Natives have declared against us, Pedro de Mendoza died on the Magdelena ship. I have been waiting here in the Azores for the Portuguese so that they can grant my new ship in replacement for the one that was destroyed in the hurricane.

April 12, 1528

So far this expedition has not been going as planned. As my crew departed from Cuba today, a hurricane hit, making the waters of the Atlantic roaring and out of control. It wrecked our ship, leaving us abandoned in the Southwest. Now we’re taking a break to recompose ourselves from this tragedy. Currently, we are on the coast of Florida. There are Natives here who are mistreating my companions. Most of people were are ill and died from starvation, diseases and from abuse from the Natives. They took advantage of my crew, enslaving them, when I still need them to continue on with my expedition. Just a few days ago I had all of my people and now I am left with four in the end. Myself, Dorantes, Castillo, and Esteban. We started walking so that we could get away from the Natives before they took advantage of the rest of us. It looks as if there is a long way ahead but we will do whatever it takes.

June 11, 1527

It Is a couple days into my voyage. Leading off with five different ships and over three hundred people. I have a lot of trust in Panfilo de Narvaez for he is the leader of this expedition and is older with years of experience. If he could conquer Cuba, I have faith in him to lead me through this. We just arrived in Hispaniola and will most likely be here for a while. From what I know of it, After staying in Hispaniola for a significant amount of time, we should be on our way to Cuba and Trinidad.

His Death-The Aftermath, and When it Happened

It is estimated that in 1556 Alvar Nunez died in Spain, and no one is sure how he was near the end of his life. After 1551 with his trial with the Council of Indies, he was soon forgotten, which led to the assumption that he retired from active service to the Spanish Crown. His peace with the Native Americans, however, did help in the future to preserve the Rio de Plata colony that he encountered on his voyage. His knowledge and his trek also helped him aid the Spaniard’s in their remake of the map of the American Southwest. Also, he helped them understand the scope of America.

1551-The Trial

It has been seven long, torturous years in my jail cell in Spain, and finally I have been brought to the Council of the Indies to attempt to clear my name. Unfortunately, in the long run I was found guilty of being a tyrant, and mismanagement to the Rio de la Plata colony I had encountered, and I was thereby banned from Africa. Thankfully, I had friends in high places, and King Charles still liked and believed I was not a tyrant, and that I did only try to help my colony, and other colonies, and eventually reversed the decision made by the Council of the Indies, and I was then appointed governor for the rest of my life.

1544-Still in Jail

Being the governor, Irala miscalculated my popularity within my colony, Especially because I helped them become peaceful with different types of people, and I helped them branch out and become more well-known. I was not freed from jail, sadly, but Irala’s conspirators did at least not execute me as they had originally planned, and instead sent me to Spain for my supposed list of crimes, which I still do not believe I committed even one of the crimes on the list. I am hoping that others will soon figure out that I was only helping the colony, and trying to improve the way people treat others, and the way my people lived, and I am not a villain, or a convict in the least.

1544-His Return

I have returned back to Asuncion, and things are not as I have left them. Irala has gone against me, and has formed many rival political forces, and they are forming a resistance to my rules. Thanks to my new rival Irala, I was placed in jail shortly after returning by his rival political forces, and this is simply humiliating me along with the fact that I had only made it as far as Irala, and managed to kill many of my own men. The main reason these villains threw me into jail was because they believed I am a, “bullying tyrant” and they have also made a list of crimes I am sure I have not committed. I do not believe one bit I am even close to a tyrant, as I tried to maintain peace between us and the Native Americans, and I strived to make our colony flourish. Irala of course would know nothing of peace, as he believed my native friends were violent and simply savages!

1544-Troubles in Los Reyes

The overview of this year goes as follows. My men have come down with all different kinds of “Jungle Fever”, and are dropping quicker than flies. I figure if I brought a smaller crew, this may have been successful. I am not exactly sure what to do, and the swarms of disgusting mosquitoes we have encountered are not helping with my thought process. I believe the best bet is to return back further down the river to Asuncion, but then I will feel I have failed, and I will be ashamed. However, I did decide to head back to Asuncion, and to make the matter even worse, and more humiliating, the Guaxarapos tribes (the natives) were constantly attacking our ships, and killing even more of my men, as if the fevers were not enough. On April 8th we made it back to Asuncion after a hard journey.

1543

This year has been hectic. On January the 6th, 1543, Irala, who was searching for a possible route to Peru, he set up a base named, “Puerto de los Reyes.” Sadly, Irala attempted to seek a route to Peru from the base, but the intensely thick forests stopped him. Irala came reporting back to me in Asuncion in February of why he failed his simple task. Along with my 20 vessels, I then set off to find a route to the notorious gold and silver mines in Peru. I of course, did not travel by water alone, and brought 400 Spaniards, and 800 natives along with me. My mission was to reach Los Reyes and then continue west into the jungle that Irala failed to push himself through. When I reached Los Reyes, however, I encountered hostile natives, and sickening animals everywhere. I was awaken one night by vampire bats, sucking at my skin, and I had blood smeared all over my body.