The statement that best explains what happened during Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca’s expedition in 1528 is:
He was shipwrecked near Galveston and survived only because the Karankawa people gave him food and shelter.
This reflects the key events of his expedition, where after being shipwrecked, Cabeza de Vaca and a small group of survivors relied on the indigenous Karankawa people for their survival.