Finally, a comprehensive set of translations now exists for the enigmatic Calusa. Hann and Marquardt have assembled an exhaustive and diverse set of documents which locates the Calusa in their rightful place of importance in North American ethnography. Randolph Widmer, University of HoustonWhen Europeans arrived in southwest Florida in the early sixteenth century, they encountered a complex and powerful society. The Calusa, subject of this study by two of Florida s most eminent scholars, pose an enigma to anthropologists and historians. Their high political development marked by class...

"An extraordinary scholarly work . . . that] will immediately make everything else written about the Timucua and the Spanish mission system in La Florida out-of-date. This will be the basic scholarly reference for students of Florida history and historical archaeology."--Jerald T. Milanich, Florida Museum of Natural History
"An intricate and detailed portrait of the Timucuan Indians during the European colonial era . . . will undoubtedly stand as the principal source regarding the land of the Timucua speakers for years to come. . . . A classic example of historical scholarship."--John E....