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The Calusa men were tall and well-built with long hair. Calusa means "fierce people”. The Calusa had a relatively complex social organization that allowed large numbers of them to live together and rather effectively defend themselves. The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not friendly and soon became the targets of the Calusa attacks if their ships were anchored close to shore. This explains why it took nearly two centuries after the discovery before any Spanish settlements were established.
The Calusa eventually succumbed to warfare, enslavement and European disease epidemics. It is believed that the last remaining Calusa Indians left the area when the Spanish turned over Florida to the British in 1763.
Juan Ponce de León is widely credited to be the first Spanish explorer to discover Florida and the Florida South West Coast.
In September 1493, some 1,200 sailors, colonists, and soldiers joined Christopher Columbus for his second voyage to the Americas. Ponce de León was a member of this expedition. The fleet reached the Caribbean in November 1493. They visited several islands before arriving at their primary destination in Hispaniola. In particular they anchored on the coast of a large island the natives called Borinquen
Archaeologists have excavated many
of these mounds to learn more about
these extinct people. Artifacts such
as shell tools, weapons, and ornaments are
on display in many Florida history museums.
Living and surviving on the coast caused the tribesmen to become great sailors. The Calooshahatchee River, which means "River of the Calusa," was their main waterway.
They traveled by dugout canoes, which were made from hollowed-out cypress logs approximately 15 feet long. They used these canoes to travel as far as Cuba. They were also known to sail up and down the west coast salvaging the wealth from shipwrecks.
The Spanish Explorers