In 1513 the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon (the conqueror of Puerto Rico) explored the coast of Florida. It was Easter Week – Pasqua Florida in Spanish— when he landed, so the land was called Florida. The primary goal of the expedition was to obtain slaves. Florida at this time was not a wilderness but a land which had been inhabited for thousands of years. The indigenous peoples of Florida had also culturally modified that landscape with agricultural cleaning and controlled fires to enhance its ability to provide them with nourishment.
Briefly described below is some of what the archaeological record tells us about Florida from 1000 CE to 1300 CE. As with much archaeological data, the dates given below should be seen as approximate.
Long-Nosed God
About 1000 CE, in an area ranging from Florida and Louisiana in the South, through Oklahoma and as far north as Illinois, Indian people were making and displaying small masks depicting a long-nosed god. The masks were often made of copper, but in some areas, shell or stone were also used. The face on the masks was shield-shaped with a slit mouth and large circular eyes. The prominent feature was the long nose which protruded from the center of the mask. According to religion professor Henry Bowden, in his book American Indians and Christian Missions: Studies in Cultural Conflict:
“Probably worn in pairs as ear ornaments, these small masks functioned as part of a ceremonial aggregate that quickly progressed through the Southeast.”
The long-nosed god seems to have diffused into the Southeast from Mexico and was probably derived from the god Yacatechutli, the protector of travelers. It was most likely spread via Mayan-speaking traders called pochtecas. Henry Bowden writes:
“These traders may have played a missionary role, spreading religious interest along with impressive new ceremonies while introducing new merchandise.”
Temple Mounds
The structure of the Apalachee villages in Florida reflected their hierarchical chiefdom. There were four types of Apalachee settlements. The largest and most impressive of these were the capital towns which served as the center of political and religious life. Archaeologist Jerald Milanich, in his book Laboring in the Fields of the Lord: Spanish Missions and Southeastern Indians, reports:
“Members of the Apalachee populace came to their capital on special occasions to pay homage to the elite rulers and to participate in community-wide activities.”
By 1000 CE, the Apalachee were constructing a temple mound complex at the Lake Jackson Mounds site near present-day Tallahassee. The largest of the seven mounds at this site is 36 feet (11 meters) high and measures 270 feet and 300 feet at its base. Shaped like a truncated pyramid, the mound had a ramp built up its east side. This site would grow to six temple mounds and a burial mound. The Apalachee exploited the resources of the bays and estuaries and left large shell middens to show for their success.
In addition to the capital towns, the Apalachee settlements included town sites featuring a single pyramidal mound; hamlets composed of five to ten houses and a larger building that served as location for communal religious and governmental activities; and farmsteads which were composed of one or two houses. The bulk of the Apalachee population lived in hamlets and farmsteads.
Among the Apalachee, the council house was the place where the village’s business was conducted. It also served as the chief’s office, men’s lodges, and as housing for visitors. One council house which has been excavated by archaeologists was a round wooden and thatched building 120 feet (37 meters) in diameter. There were two rows of benches around a central fire and a dance area that was 65 feet (20 meters) across.
Grand Shell Ring Site
By 1000 CE, the Timucua were occupying the Grand Shell Ring site. Timucua villages were generally laid out around a central plaza and ballcourt area. The villages often contained a larger communal structure and a chief’s house. Some villages contained as many as 250 houses, but many consisted of only 20-30 houses with a population of 200-300 people.
The Timucua abandoned this site about 1250 CE.
St. Simons Island
By 1200 CE, the ancestors of the Timucua were living on northern St. Simons Island. Their village was on a wide point of land surrounded by tidal streams and salt marsh. One of the buildings in the village was a large oval structure—40 feet by 52 feet—made using posts and thatching. The structure appears to have been the home for several families. The bones of the dead were buried in the floor.
Fort Walton Site
About 1300 CE, Indian people at the Fort Walton site began construction of the Temple Mound. The mound would eventually reach a height of 12 feet and would be some 200 feet square at the base. The mound was a burial mound.
Calusa
While most of the indigenous peoples of Florida used a combination of farming, hunting, and gathering for their subsistence, the Calusa in south Florida were a fishing people with a population of about 20,000 with no agriculture. They had a highly complex social structure and monumental architecture. In an article in American Archaeology, Tamara Stewart reports:
“They built massive mounds of shells and sand, dug large canals, engineered sophisticated fish corrals, held elaborate ceremonies, created remarkable works of art such as intricately carved wooden masks, and traversed the waters in canoes made from hollowed out logs.”
By 1300 CE, the Calusa were constructing fish pens for capturing and storing live fish. In an article in American Archaeology, Paula Neely reports:
“The Colusa, who were fisher-hunter-gatherers, walled off part of a canal to create two rectangular-shaped watercourts on Mound Key, an island in Estero Bay along the Gulf Coast. The larger watercourt was about 36,000 square-feet, and it was walled off by a three-foot-high berm made of shells and sediment.”
While it is not known exactly how the pens worked, one hypothesis is that fish were captured in nets and then deposited in the pens. Paula Neely reports:
“The fish were probably stored for short periods of time before they were eaten, dried, or smoked.”
The Calusa had large sea-going canoes as well as smaller cargo canoes and barges made from platforms which connected two or more canoes. Some of the Calusa canoes held 80 people and would be used for traveling to Cuba.
The Calusa also constructed canals that connected the major coastal towns with the interior settlements. Some of these canals were 9 meters wide and at least 2 meters deep. In his chapter in Societies in Eclipse: Archaeology of the Eastern Woodland Indians, A.D. 1400-1700, William Marquardt notes:
“The paths of these canals are visible on aerial photographs of the area taken prior to modern development, and they were described in detail by explorers of the late nineteenth century.”
More Ancient America
Ancient America: Florida, BCE
Ancient America: Alaska Before 6000 BCE
Ancient America: Idaho Prior to 6000 BCE
Ancient America: Nebraska Prior to 6000 BCE
Ancient America: Wyoming Before 6000 BCE
Ancient America: A very brief overview of the Adena moundbuilders
Ancient America: The Avonlea Complex
Ancient America: A very short overview of the prehistory of the Grand Canyon
