Esteban: The African Slave Who Explored America

When Pueblo Indians say, “The first white man our people saw was a black man,” they are referring to Esteban, who came to New Mexico in 1539. After centuries of negative portrayals, this book highlights Esteban’s importance in America’s early history.

Books about the history of the American West have ignored Esteban or belittled his importance, often using his slave nickname, Estebanico. What little we know about Esteban comes from Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and other Spanish chroniclers, wh...