S6 E7: The Conquistador & The Devil in Texas - The Incredible TRUE Story of Cabesa de Vaca & The Mala Cosa

Thanks to Listener Matt Armstrong for sending in this absolute banger of a submission!

In this epic episode of That Would Be Rad, Woody takes you on one of the wildest journeys in early American history - the true survival odyssey of Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Shipwrecks, slavery, starvation, cannibalism, miraculous healings… and then the story gets really weird.

Around 1534, the Native tribes of south-central Texas told the four ragged survivors about Mala Cosa - “The Bad Thing.” A small, bearded figure with unnatural power who performed grotesque surgery on living people, ripped out their entrails, healed the wounds instantly, lifted entire lodges into the air, shapeshifted genders, and claimed to live “down below.”

Is it the Devil? A cryptid? A rogue shaman? Or something even older?

We dive deep into the historical record from Cabeza de Vaca’s own book La Relación, explore similar creatures across Texas, the Southwest, Mexico, and around the world, and leave you wondering what the hell was really walking those plains 500 years ago.

🔥 What We Uncover in This Episode:

• The doomed Narváez expedition — from 600 men to just 4 survivors
• Eight years of naked survival, slavery, and becoming “Children of the Sun”
• The full terrifying account of Mala Cosa straight from the source
• Texas wild man legends, Skinwalkers, La Lechuza, Chupacabra, and more
• Global parallels: Pishtaco, Manananggal, Tokoloshe, and beyond
• Historical debates - demon, cryptid, shaman, or something else?

🎧 Why You NEED to Listen:If you love deep historical mysteries that turn into straight-up nightmare fuel, this is your episode. Buckle up... this one will stick with you.

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SHOW INFO:

🎧 Written & Produced by: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence🎧 Recorded at: Midnight Radio Studios🎧 Sound Design, Editing, & Music by: Woody Brown🎧 Mixing & Mastering by: Tyler Bence🎧 Art Design by: Tyler Bence🎧 Outro Song: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

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