Black History: The Culture Before 1619
Week 2
In this four part series, Dr. Keisha (our DEI Consultant) will take us around the world to learn more about Black lives, experiences, and cultures before 1619 (the start of “Black history” as we know it). Hear Dr. Keisha speak more on the subject in this video.
Esteban the Moor, Moroccan
Different contemporary accounts and subsequent historians variously identify him as Estevan, Esteban, Estevánico, Estebánico, Mustafa Zemmouri, Esteban de Dorantes, Stephan Durantes, and Black Stephen. He was an African of Moroccan ancestry and born into the Muslim faith. He was first enslaved by the Portuguese in 1522 and sold soon thereafter to Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, a Spaniard.
Estevan was one of a party of survivors of the ill-fated 1527 attempt by Pánfilo de Narvaez to explore Florida. A group of survivors, led by Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de la Vaca, washed ashore on Galveston Island in 1528. That party eventually diminished to four persons, including Estevan and his “master,” Dorantes. These survivors became the first explorers from the Old World to visit the interior of present-day Texas. Often accompanied by Native American guides, they managed to travel on foot from the Gulf coast to the Pacific coast of Mexico, then on to Mexico City, a journey that covered about 2,400 miles. Cabeza de Vaca’s party frequently sent Estevan ahead, when encountering new Native American peoples, to act as an intermediary.
Upon returning to Mexico in 1536, Estevan became involved in a second expedition, an attempt by the conquistador Fray Marcos de Niza to locate and take possession of the legendary golden cities of Cibola. Estevan’s participation in this exploit was not voluntary, but at the direction of his new “master,” the Spanish Viceroy in Mexico. Estevan served de Niza’s group as a guide, advance scout, and insulating buffer between the Spanish and the Native Americans. In that capacity, he became the first conquistador to set foot in what is now northwestern New Mexico.
He was killed in 1539 by the Pueblo inhabitants of Zuni under disputed circumstances.
Additional reading recommendations:
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami - a fictional telling of Estevan’s story which, as indicated by the title, is intended to present his side of the matter.
“Estavanico” is a 2017 poem by PEN award-winning author Jeffrey Yang. It portrays Estevan as a physical and moral guide.
Entertaining Read of Estevan’s Life https://newmexiconomad.com/esteban-the-moor/. Somewhat accurate, but lacks citations. Treat as historical fiction.
These portrayals illustrate Estevan’s enduring legacy, and his importance as a figure of contemporary cultural, as well as historical, significance.
Ultimately, Esteban was one of only four survivors who covered the last of an arduous sun-stroked trek – barefoot and near starving – toward Mexico. Along the way, he and the others (including Cabeza de Vaca whose Relación is one of the only surviving records) inspired many they encountered with tales of survival and, reputedly, with feats of healing.
Sources:
https://thebryanmuseum.org/2020/06/15/estevan-an-early-african-in-the-new-world/
https://www.nps.gov/coro/learn/historyculture/esteban-de-dorantes.htm
https://dsps.lib.uiowa.edu/esteban/esteban/