Cabeza de Vaca (film)

Cabeza de Vaca is a 1991 Mexican film directed by Nicolás Echevarría and starring Juan Diego about the adventures of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490 – c. 1557), an early Spanish explorer, as he traversed what later became the American South.

Cabeza de Vaca was one of four survivors of the Narváez expedition and shipwreck. He became known as a shaman among the Native American tribes he encountered, which helped him survive. His journey of a number of years began in 1528. After his return to Spain, he published his journal in 1542. The screenplay by Guillermo Sheridan and Nicolás Echevarría is based on Cabeza de Vaca's journal Naufragios y comentarios ("Shipwrecks and Commentaries").

The film was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 63rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

A DVD version was released in 2012.