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List of Calusa towns

Source: Early History of the Creek Indians and Their Neighbors #121

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We will consider first the towns of Calusa. Two lists of Calusa towns have come to my notice; one in Fontaneda's Memoir, the other—possibly from him also, but containing many more names and some variants of the names in his Memoir—in the Lowery manuscripts. From the fact that Tampa is given by Fontaneda as a Calusa town, it has been quite generally assumed that the Calusa extended as far north as the bay of that name, but in the Lowery manuscripts I find very strong evidence that the original Tampa Bay was farther south than the inlet now so called, and was probably identical with what is now Charlotte Harbor. The principal Calusa town was farther south on San Carlos Bay.

Fontaneda classifies the Calusa towns into three groups, those on the west coast of the peninsula, those about Lake Mayaimi, now Okeechobee, and those on the Florida Keys. The following list is as complete as I can furnish.

In the list from the Lowery manuscripts the towns, or, as the document gives it, their caciques—since town and chief were called by the same name by the Spaniards—are given from north to south, and I indicate in each case the town above and below the one named, mentioning the one to the north first. In the case of towns from Fontaneda's list I give the group to which each belongs:

Abib. Between Neguitun and Cutespa.
Alcola (or Chosa). Mentioned in the narrative of an expedition into the Calusa country in 1680, and said to have 300 people.
Apojola Nkoba. This is given in an account of an expedition into the Calusa country in 1680. The expedition was accompanied by Timucua interpreters and this name seems to contain the Spanish word black and the Timucua word for buzzard. It contained 20 people.
Calaobe. Belongs to the seacoast division (see p. 29).
Cabaqaba. Between Namuguya and Henhenguepa.
Casitoa, Casitla. Seacoast division. Between Muspa and Cotebo.
Cayovba. Seacoast division.
Cayucab. Between Tonco and Seguitun.
Chipi. Between Tomcobe and Taguagemae (or Taguagemue).
Comachica. Seacoast division.
Cononoquay. Between Cutespa and Estegue.
Cotebo. Between Casitua and Coyobia.
Coyobia. Between Cotebo and Tequemapo.
Cuchiyaoa, Cuchiaoa, Cuclyyaoa. A town of the Florida keys. It was said to be southwest from Bahia Honda and 40 leagues northeast of Guarungube. Probably it was on Big Pine Key.
Custavui. South of Jutun.
Cutespa. Inland division. Between Abir and Cononoguay.
Elafay. In the report of an expedition to Calusa in 1680. It had 40 people. The word may be in the Timucua language.
EnempA. In interior division.
Estame. Seacoast division. Between Metamapo and Sacaspada.
Estantafaca. Between Yagua and Queyhicha.
Esteoue. Between Cononoguay and Tomsobe.
Excuru. Between Janar and Metamapo.
Guarungube, Guaruoumbe, Garungunve. The outermost town on the Florida keys, "on the point of the Martyrs," and thus probably near Key West.
Guevu. Seacoast division.
Henhenguepa. Between Caragara and Ocapataga.
Janar. Between Ocapataga and Escuru.
Judyi. Between Satucuava and Soco.
Juestocobaoa. Between Queyhicha and Sinapa.
Jutun. Seacoast division. Between Tequemapo and Custavui.
Metamapo. Seacoast division. Between Escuru and Estame.
Muspa. Seacoast division. Between Teyo and Casitua.
Namuouya. Between Taguagemae and Caragara.
Neguitun. Between Cayucar and Abir.
No (or Non). Seacoast division. The word is said to mean "town beloved." (See p. 30.)
Ocapataoa. Between Henhenguepa and Janar.
Queyhicha. Between Estantapaca and Juestocobaga.
Quisiyove. Seacoast division.
Sacaspada, Cacaspada. Seacoast division. Between Estame and Satucuava.
Satucuava. Between Sacaspada and Judyi.
Sinaesta. Seacoast division.
Sinapa. Seacoast division. Between Juestocobaga and Tonco.
Soco. Seacoast division. Between Judyi and Vuebe.
Taouagemae (or Taguagemue). Between Chipi and Namuguya.
Tampa, Tanpa. Seacoast division. The northernmost town of the Calusa country, followed on the south by Yagua. It was probably on Charlotte Harbor. According to one Spanish writer the Indians at the mouth of the present Tampa Bay were called by some people Tampas, by others "Vantabales."
Tatesta, Testa. Seacoast division. It is given as a town between Tekesta and Cuchiaga, according to one writer, about 80 leagues north of the latter town. A "key of Tachista" is also mentioned in one place, and still another document places it on the Florida Keys. It may have been near their inner end.
Tavaouemue. Interior division.
Tequemapo. Seacoast division. Between Coyobia and Jutun.
Teyo. Between Vuebo and Muspa.
Tiquuagua. From the narrative of a Calusa expedition undertaken in 1680. Population of town, 300.
Tomo. Seacoast division.
Tomsobe, Tomcobe. Interior division. Between Estegue and Chipi. Perhaps the Sonsobe of Fontaneda, who in one place speaks of it as a province distinct from Calusa.
Tonco. Between Sinapa and Cayucar.
Tuchi. Seacoast division.
Vantabai.es. See Tampa.
Vuebe. Between Soco and Teyo. Possibly the Guevn of Fontaneda.
Yagua. Seacoast division. Between Tampa and Estantapaca.
(Swanton)