Juan Ponce de León, Calusa Indians, & Sanibel Island: 1513–1521

Juan Ponce de León’s discovery of Florida has been told and retold for over 500 years. Historians continue to quarrel about the sites of his Gulf Coast landings, whether Charlotte Harbor, Sanibel Island, or other locations. In Juan Ponce de León, the Calusa Indians, and Sanibel Island 1513-1521, LeBuff provides his reasons for Sanibel Island’s choice.
Juan Ponce de León was active during the Age of Discovery along with notable conquistadors such as Hernán Cortés and Francisco Hernández de Córdoba. All shared a favorite pilot (navigator)—Antón Alaminos, who had become widely known as Spain’s greatest pilot. He sailed with Juan Ponce when they founded Florida and he piloted Cortés when he invaded Mexico.
Juan Ponce’s Southwest Florida visits were endangered because of the highly socialized and militarized Calusa Indians, who had controlled South Florida for over a millennium. The natives’ ferocity, war skills, and weaponry prevailed over the Spanish, prompting the Spanish crown to warn their ships to avoid Southwest Florida.