Andrés Reséndez

“The natives called the four travelers “the children of the sun” because they seemed to have come from such unimaginably remote lands. It is tempting to narrate their journey as an extreme tale of survival: four naked men at the mercy of the natural elements, facing an extraordinary array of native societies. Comparisons to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness are difficult to avoid. It was certainly a hellish journey. But it was also much more. At its heart, it is the story of how a handful of survivalists, out of necessity, were able to bridge two worlds that had remained apart for 12,000 years or more. Deprived of firearms and armor, the castaways were forced to cope with North America on its own terms.”
― Andrés Reséndez, A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca

“The area was like a gigantic moonscape of bleached sand, salt flats, and mountain ranges inhabited by small bands no larger than extended families. Early travelers to the West did not hide their contempt for these "digger Indians", who lacked both horses and weapons. These vulnerable Paiutes, as they were known, had become easy prey for other, mounted Indians.”
― Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America