<P> At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries , the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture . They are notable for having developed a complex culture based on estuarine fisheries rather than agriculture . Calusa territory reached from Charlotte Harbor to Cape Sable , all of present - day Charlotte and Lee counties , and may have included the Florida Keys at times . They had the highest population density of South Florida ; estimates of total population at the time of European contact range from 10,000 to several times that , but these are speculative . </P>
<P> At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries , the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture . They are notable for having developed a complex culture based on estuarine fisheries rather than agriculture . Calusa territory reached from Charlotte Harbor to Cape Sable , all of present - day Charlotte and Lee counties , and may have included the Florida Keys at times . They had the highest population density of South Florida ; estimates of total population at the time of European contact range from 10,000 to several times that , but these are speculative . </P>
how did the calusa tribe get their food
how did the calusa tribe get their food
estuarine fisheries
estuarine fisheries