The Calusa was a powerful, complex society who lived on the
sandy shores of the southwest Florida coast. Being on the coast, they relied
heavily on fishing and hunting for principal sources of food with their main
waterway being the Caloosahatchee River or "River of the Calusa." The vestiges
of their long-ago presence span from Sarasota to the Keys with many Calusa
shell and human burial mounds dotting our area's islands and shoreline. They
were also able to hold off Spanish invasion for over 200 years! Despite having
a population of thousands of people, the Calusa set themselves apart from other
farming tribes in Florida. This begs the question: What factors made them so
unique and contributed to their achievements? Purpose: Learn about the engineering, trade and cosmovision
that made the ancient Calusa a unique and fascinating society in southwest
Florida Facilitator: Natalie De La Torre Salas (Guest Presenter –
Florida Public Archaeology Network) |
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