Paleoenvironmental Context of Calusa Cultural Evolution on Mound Key, Estero Bay, Southwest Florida

Summary

The Calusa occupied Mound Key in Estero Bay, southwest Florida, from approximately AD600 to the 1700s with this location serving as a cultural and political center from ca. AD950. As a fisher-gatherer-hunter society, they heavily exploited the shellfish and finfish resources of the estuary. During this time, Estero Bay’s estuarine ecology and coastal geomorphology developed in response to variable rates of sea-level rise (SLR) and climate change. Our work integrates archaeological and geological perspectives on this intertwined history of the Calusa and their environment. Specifically, we found correlations between shifts in estuarine salinity of the bay, as it closed, and the types of shellfish exploited by its inhabitants. As salinity lowered in the bay, favoring oyster reef productivity, the Calusa shifted away from more marine-based shellfish and to more heavily exploit oyster resources for surplus production. Concomitant with these shifts were changes in site organization and layout, which included construction and alteration of new landforms and features (e.g., canals and mounds). Estuarine conditions today are comparable to those in Calusa’s later history, but SLR acceleration threatens a shift back to the earlier estuarine ecology and geomorphology. Consequently, Calusa’s historical ecology provides insights for future environmental management of the bay.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20989