During the 16th century, Europe was filled with curiosity about the “New World.” Through La Relación, the king of Spain a the time, Philip II, was able to acquire and use valuable information about North America. Using De Vaca’s report, the king may have learned vital about America’s natives, conditions on the voyage to America, and the climate of this unfamiliar territory. Due to the aspirations for America that European royalty heald, knowledge of the natives was a necessity. If the natives were hostile, it would be crucial to properly arm his voyagers to defend themselves against the savages’ attacks. On the other hand, if they were passive or friendly, it would be the king’s decision whether to make allies or enemies of them. Before this report, there would be…show more content… The voyage was obviously perilous, and the men unprepared. King Philip needed to make decisions as to how much food to send with them. He must also decide whether or not to equip them with weaponry for defense and hunting. Relating back to the natives, the explorers could have brought bribes and rewards in the form of beads and bells to convince them to teach the crew members how to cultivate land and gather a sufficient food supply. Descriptive accounts of the wildlife such as “certain roots which tasted like nuts, some bigger than walnuts, some smaller, mostly grubbed from the water with great labor” goes a great length in informing the king as to what the food supply was like there. He also mentions fish on several accounts, which the Europeans could catch similarly to the fish they caught in Europe. As there was a sufficient food supply already there, the King of Spain would be concerned with giving them enough food for the voyage as well as teaching them to sustain a food supply once they arrived. This information could allow the voyagers to have more reasonable rations and be better prepared for the
