In researching my upcoming novel Calusa Gold, I have found consistent evidence that the Calusas fiercely resisted the Spanish invaders. This began with their fight against Ponce De Leon, in which they hit him with a poison-tipped arrow that killed him.
This got me thinking about why the Calusas felt this way. Did they simply distrust foreigners or were they just aggressive by nature? Both could be true, but I found two sources that may suggest something else.
First, I read that the Calusas may have been “forewarned” “about the approaching juggernaut of Spanish colonization” in this article by John E. Worth at the Randell Research Center, Florida Museum of Natural History.
Next, I read that Spanish forces “prompted the flight of at least one group of native Cuban Indians to South Florida, where the Calusa paramount chief permitted them to settle.”
So this tells me the Calusas had reason to distrust, or possibly fear, the Spaniards. Perhaps this also explains how they were able to resist Spanish influence for so long. They knew about the threat, they were ready, and they acted. It appears the Spaniards didn’t realize what they were going to face when they arrived in Estero Bay. Who knows what would have happened if the Spaniards had not brought smallpox with them.
But that’s kind of the point of my book: it’s a big “what if” about the Spanish invasion of southwest Florida. I really like it when my research comes together to give my project some authenticity.
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We should do this more in class