San Antón de Carlos
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| San Antón de Carlos of Mound Key Site | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
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| Location | Lee County, Florida, USA |
| Nearest city | Fort Myers Beach, Florida |
| Coordinates | 26°25′20″N 81°51′55″W / 26.42222°N 81.86528°W |
| Established | August 12, 1970 |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
San Antonio de Carlos, established in 1567,[1] was the first Jesuit mission in the New World.[2][3] The site is located in what is now Mound Key Archaeological State Park off Estero Bay in Florida and what was the cultural center of the Calusa or Calos people, who lived in the area for more than 2,000 years.[2]
In the 1500s, the Spanish began exploring the Florida peninsula and the Caribbean. Juan Ponce de León, who came to the area in 1513, was the first contact between the Calusa and Europeans.[2] He was injured when he was shot by an arrow in the thigh by a Calusa warrior, and died as the result of the injury.[3]
King Caalus, also known as Carlos, ruled more than 20,000 Calusas people of southern Florida in the mid 1500s. He had a large house that held up to 2,000 people on Mound Key, an island created from disposed clam and oyster shells. The Calusa people, who lived in a number of villages, primarily ate shellfish, turtles, and fish for their sustenance. They supplemented their diet with food they gathered and hunted, including birds and deer.[3]
History
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, was appointed as Spain's first Governor of Florida in 1566.[2] Menéndez arrived to the area with 200 soldiers, some of whom were musicians who played fifes, trumpets, and drums. They built a fort, which included a Jesuit mission.[3] Many of the native Calusa people died as the result of diseases brought to them by the Spanish and for which they had no immunity. The Spanish abandoned the site by 1569,[2] due to the resistance of the Calusa against colonization.[3]
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