The Calusa: "The Shell Indians". While the Calusa managed to survive that encounter, the 250 years that followed brought intermittent contact with other conquistadors, Christians missionaries, and in later years, English and French explorer-traders who vied for the territory, often with the help of native allies. Hostilities erupted, and the Spanish soldiers killed Carlos, his successor Felipe, and several of the "nobles" before they abandoned their fort and mission in 1569. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) In 1954 a dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida. Most spectacular are 9 carved and painted animal heads, some of which were probably worn as masks or headdresses on ceremonial occasions; others probably functioned as architectural elements. The first phase of work included the creation of a detailed topographic map of the island using LiDAR, which gave archaeologists information about its structures and geography. In the 1700's, infectious diseases, slaving raids and attacks by Creek and Yamasee Indians who were supplied with guns by the English, decimated the Calusa population. This article first appeared in the magazines fall 2020 issue. Florida Museum artifact photos by Jeff Gage. At first, there must have been an uneasy tolerance of one another, as the Spanish built their fort, Marquardt explained. They also cored sediments on and off the island to help describe and date environmental changes during the sites occupation. Instead, they fished for food on the coast, bays, rivers, and waterways. The temple mounds, built by what must have been a well-organized work force, measured up to 30 feet high and were often topped with buildings of wood and thatch entered only by the elite. Native American art,