Tocobaga
Encyclopedia
Tocobaga was the name of a chiefdom
, its chief and its principal town during the 16th century in the area of Tampa Bay
. The town was at the northern end of what is now called Old Tampa Bay, an arm of Tampa Bay that extends northward between the present-day city of Tampa
and Pinellas County
. The town is believed to have been at the Safety Harbor Site
.
The Tocobaga had a few brief contacts with Spanish
explorers with little obvious effect. The Europeans brought infectious diseases for which the Florida tribes had no acquired immunity
. Due primarily to epidemic
diseases, the Tocobaga culture declined severely in the 17th century and disappeared early in the 18th century. The Tocobaga area overlapped and succeeded that of the Safety Harbor culture
, which developed in place from the earlier (500 BC - AD 700) Manasota culture.
. The chiefdom consisted of about 15 miles (24.1 km) of shoreline, and extended about 20 miles (32.2 km) inland. Each chiefdom had a principal town or "capital" with a temple
mound and central plaza
. Fifteen such towns have been identified along the Florida Gulf coast from southern Pasco County
to northern Sarasota County
, an area that includes all of Tampa Bay. Only one principal town has been found inland. Descriptions of the villages by Spanish visitors mostly agree with archaeological reconstructions.
Such "capitals" had a central rectangular plaza
. A truncated pyramidal mound
with a flat top or platform, up to 20 feet (6.1 m) high and up to 130 feet (39.6 m) long on each side at the base, stood on one side of the plaza. One or more buildings stood on top of the mound, and a ramp for access ran from the plaza to the top of the mound. A burial mound for the elite was often located off to the side. A shell mound, or midden
ran along the shore, and other middens were sometimes located on other sides of the plaza. The plaza was kept clear of debris. The more important residents of the town had their houses around the plaza, while the lower class lived in huts further from the plaza. The Spanish reported that the chief and his family lived on the main mound, and that a "temple" (probably a charnel house
) stood on the opposite side of the plaza. Archaeological excavations suggest that the charnel houses were on the mounds. Village sites without mounds and isolated burial mounds are also known.
The Spanish reported four social classes among the Tocobagan: chiefs, headmen, warriors and ordinary people, and slaves. Europeans and members of other Native American tribes who had been captured in warfare were made slaves. A chief who visited de Soto in his camp traveled there on the back of another man, his slave. Chiefs were often married to the sisters of other chiefs.
The Tocobagan ate fish, shellfish, deer, turtles and dogs, as well as watercress, pumpkin
s, "cabbage" from palmettos or cabbage palm
s, and beans. Maize
may have been a minor part of the diet but, prior to European encounter, generally the southern limit of maize agriculture was to the north of Tocobaga territory. They used bows and arrows, equipped with stone arrowheads or stingray
stingers. Houses were built with wooden posts and covered with palm leaves. "Temples" (or charnel houses) and other buildings were decorated with wood carvings. Pottery
used in daily life was largely undecorated, but ceremonial vessels (found in burials) were distinctively decorated (the defining characteristic of the Safety Harbor culture).
The Tocobaga kept the bodies of recently dead people in their temples or charnel houses until the bones had been cleaned. The Spanish visitors described the bodies as being wrapped in painted deer hides and stored in wooden boxes which rested on the ground. The tops were decorated with shells. A Spanish captive of the Tocobaga reported that he was assigned to guard a temple at night to keep wolves from carrying off the bodies. Garcilosa reported that lions (cougars) would carry away bodies. After the bones were cleaned of flesh, they were buried.
A Spanish account of a chief's funeral said that his body was "broken up" and placed in large jars, and the flesh was removed from the bones over two days. After reassembly, the skeleton left in the temple for four days while the people fasted. At the end of the four days, all the people of the town took the bones and placed them in a burial mound. In some cases, bodies were cremated and the ashes buried in the mound on which the charnel house sat.
period in Florida
. In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez
likely landed in Safety Harbor territory on the south side of Tampa Bay, and passed through the eastern part of the territory on his journey north
. The Hernando de Soto
Expedition also likely landed on the south side of Tampa Bay in 1539,The exact place(s) at which Narváez and de Soto landed is disputed. The De Soto National Memorial
marking de Soto's landing is on the south side of Tampa Bay. Bullen:51-3 and Milanich 1998:107-8 argue that the descriptions of de Soto's initial travels fit that location better than proposed alternatives, such as Charlotte Harbor
or the Caloosahatchee River
. Hann:105 simply states that the landing was on the south side of Tampa Bay. and passed through the eastern part of Safety Harbor territory after occupying the village of Ucita. Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
in his history of de Soto's expedition relates that Narváez had ordered that the nose of the chief of Ucita be cut off, indicating that the two explorers had passed through the same area. Another town near Ucita encountered by de Soto was Mocoço
, but evidence suggests this village was part of the neighboring Timucua
tribe. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda
, a shipwreck survivor who lived with the Indians of southern Florida from 1549–1566 and was rescued from the Calusa
by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
, described Tocobaga, Abalachi (Apalachee
) and Mogoso (Mocoço) as "separate kingdoms" from the Calusa. Ucita and Mocoço at the time of de Soto's visit were subject to a chief named Paracoxi (also given as Urribarracuxi). De Soto marched to the town of Paracoxi, which appears to have been inland from Tampa Bay, where he found maize
in cultivation (the Safety Harbor people made little or no use of maize).
In 1567 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
visited Tocobaga. From his description of his visit, scholars believe that Tocobaga was the type site for the Safety Harbor culture. Menéndez had contacted the Calusa and reached an accommodation with Carlos, the Calusa 'king', including a 'marriage' with Carlos' sister. As Carlos was anxious to gain an advantage over his enemy Tocobaga, Menéndez took Carlos and 20 of his warriors to Tocobaga by ship. Menéndez persuaded Tocobaga and Carlos to make peace. He recovered several Europeans and a dozen Calusa being held as slaves by Tocobaga. Menéndez left a garrison of 30 men at Tocobaga to encourage the people of the town to convert to Christianity; he returned Carlos and the other Calusa to their town.
The Tocobaga had little contact with Europeans after Menéndez's visit (the garrison did not stay at Tocobaga for long). The population of the Tocobaga declined severely in the 17th century, due mostly to the spread of infectious diseases brought by the Europeans, to which they had little resistance. In addition, all of the Florida tribes lost population due to the raids by the Creek
and Yamasee
around the end of the 17th century. Remnants of the Calusa, to the south of the Tocobaga, were forced into extreme southern Florida. When Florida came under British
rule in 1763 following its defeat of France in the Seven Years War, the Calusa emigrated with Spanish refugees and resettled with them in Cuba. In any case, the Tocobaga culture disappeared from historical records in the 18th century.
Chiefdom
A chiefdom is a political economy that organizes regional populations through a hierarchy of the chief.In anthropological theory, one model of human social development rooted in ideas of cultural evolution describes a chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex than a tribe or a band...
, its chief and its principal town during the 16th century in the area of Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
. The town was at the northern end of what is now called Old Tampa Bay, an arm of Tampa Bay that extends northward between the present-day city of Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
and Pinellas County
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
. The town is believed to have been at the Safety Harbor Site
Safety Harbor Site
The Safety Harbor Site is a historic site in Safety Harbor, Florida, located in Philippe Park, at 2355 Bayshore Drive. It is the largest remaining mound in the Tampa Bay area, and is believed to have been the "capital city" of the Tocobaga. In 1964, it was declared a National Historic Landmark...
.
The Tocobaga had a few brief contacts with Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
explorers with little obvious effect. The Europeans brought infectious diseases for which the Florida tribes had no acquired immunity
Immunity (medical)
Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
. Due primarily to epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
diseases, the Tocobaga culture declined severely in the 17th century and disappeared early in the 18th century. The Tocobaga area overlapped and succeeded that of the Safety Harbor culture
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
, which developed in place from the earlier (500 BC - AD 700) Manasota culture.
Culture
The Tocobaga lived primarily in villages next to the shoreShore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
. The chiefdom consisted of about 15 miles (24.1 km) of shoreline, and extended about 20 miles (32.2 km) inland. Each chiefdom had a principal town or "capital" with a temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
mound and central plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
. Fifteen such towns have been identified along the Florida Gulf coast from southern Pasco County
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...
to northern Sarasota County
Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 372,057. Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida....
, an area that includes all of Tampa Bay. Only one principal town has been found inland. Descriptions of the villages by Spanish visitors mostly agree with archaeological reconstructions.
Such "capitals" had a central rectangular plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
. A truncated pyramidal mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
with a flat top or platform, up to 20 feet (6.1 m) high and up to 130 feet (39.6 m) long on each side at the base, stood on one side of the plaza. One or more buildings stood on top of the mound, and a ramp for access ran from the plaza to the top of the mound. A burial mound for the elite was often located off to the side. A shell mound, or midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
ran along the shore, and other middens were sometimes located on other sides of the plaza. The plaza was kept clear of debris. The more important residents of the town had their houses around the plaza, while the lower class lived in huts further from the plaza. The Spanish reported that the chief and his family lived on the main mound, and that a "temple" (probably a charnel house
Charnel house
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves...
) stood on the opposite side of the plaza. Archaeological excavations suggest that the charnel houses were on the mounds. Village sites without mounds and isolated burial mounds are also known.
The Spanish reported four social classes among the Tocobagan: chiefs, headmen, warriors and ordinary people, and slaves. Europeans and members of other Native American tribes who had been captured in warfare were made slaves. A chief who visited de Soto in his camp traveled there on the back of another man, his slave. Chiefs were often married to the sisters of other chiefs.
The Tocobagan ate fish, shellfish, deer, turtles and dogs, as well as watercress, pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
s, "cabbage" from palmettos or cabbage palm
Cabbage Palm
Cabbage Palm is a common name for several species of palms or palm-like plants:*Cordyline fruticosa, a tropical tree native to Asia and Polynesia*Corypha utan, an East Asian fan palm...
s, and beans. Maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
may have been a minor part of the diet but, prior to European encounter, generally the southern limit of maize agriculture was to the north of Tocobaga territory. They used bows and arrows, equipped with stone arrowheads or stingray
Stingray
The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
stingers. Houses were built with wooden posts and covered with palm leaves. "Temples" (or charnel houses) and other buildings were decorated with wood carvings. Pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
used in daily life was largely undecorated, but ceremonial vessels (found in burials) were distinctively decorated (the defining characteristic of the Safety Harbor culture).
The Tocobaga kept the bodies of recently dead people in their temples or charnel houses until the bones had been cleaned. The Spanish visitors described the bodies as being wrapped in painted deer hides and stored in wooden boxes which rested on the ground. The tops were decorated with shells. A Spanish captive of the Tocobaga reported that he was assigned to guard a temple at night to keep wolves from carrying off the bodies. Garcilosa reported that lions (cougars) would carry away bodies. After the bones were cleaned of flesh, they were buried.
A Spanish account of a chief's funeral said that his body was "broken up" and placed in large jars, and the flesh was removed from the bones over two days. After reassembly, the skeleton left in the temple for four days while the people fasted. At the end of the four days, all the people of the town took the bones and placed them in a burial mound. In some cases, bodies were cremated and the ashes buried in the mound on which the charnel house sat.
European contact
The Tampa Bay area was visited by Spanish explorers during the Spanish FloridaSpanish Florida
Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish territory of Florida, which formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the Spanish Empire. Originally extending over what is now the southeastern United States, but with no defined boundaries, la Florida was a component of...
period in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez
Pánfilo de Narváez
Pánfilo de Narváez was a Spanish conqueror and soldier in the Americas. He is most remembered as the leader of two expeditions, one to Mexico in 1520 to oppose Hernán Cortés, and the disastrous Narváez expedition to Florida in 1527....
likely landed in Safety Harbor territory on the south side of Tampa Bay, and passed through the eastern part of the territory on his journey north
Narváez expedition
The Narváez expedition was a Spanish attempt during the years 1527–1528 to colonize Spanish Florida. It was led by Pánfilo de Narváez, who was to rule as adelantado....
. The Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
Expedition also likely landed on the south side of Tampa Bay in 1539,The exact place(s) at which Narváez and de Soto landed is disputed. The De Soto National Memorial
De Soto National Memorial
De Soto National Memorial, 5 miles west of Bradenton, Florida, commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States.-De Soto expedition:...
marking de Soto's landing is on the south side of Tampa Bay. Bullen:51-3 and Milanich 1998:107-8 argue that the descriptions of de Soto's initial travels fit that location better than proposed alternatives, such as Charlotte Harbor
Charlotte Harbor (estuary)
Charlotte Harbor Estuary is a natural estuary spanning the west coast of Florida from Venice to Bonita Springs on the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the most productive wetlands in Florida...
or the Caloosahatchee River
Caloosahatchee River
The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately long. It drains rural areas on the northern edge of the Everglades northwest of Miami...
. Hann:105 simply states that the landing was on the south side of Tampa Bay. and passed through the eastern part of Safety Harbor territory after occupying the village of Ucita. Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
in his history of de Soto's expedition relates that Narváez had ordered that the nose of the chief of Ucita be cut off, indicating that the two explorers had passed through the same area. Another town near Ucita encountered by de Soto was Mocoço
Mocoso
Mocoso was the name of a 16th century chiefdom located on the east side of Tampa Bay, Florida near the mouth of the Alafia River, of its chief town and of its chief. Mocoso was also the name of a 17th century village in the province of Acuera, a branch of the Timucua...
, but evidence suggests this village was part of the neighboring Timucua
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
tribe. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda
Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda
Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda was a Spanish shipwreck survivor who lived among the Indians of Florida for 17 years...
, a shipwreck survivor who lived with the Indians of southern Florida from 1549–1566 and was rescued from the Calusa
Calusa
The Calusa were a Native American people who lived on the coast and along the inner waterways of Florida's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region; at the time of European contact, the Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture...
by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was a Spanish admiral and explorer, best remembered for founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. This was the first successful Spanish foothold in La Florida and remained the most significant city in the region for several hundred years. St...
, described Tocobaga, Abalachi (Apalachee
Apalachee
The Apalachee are a Native American people who historically lived in the Florida Panhandle, and now live primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Their historical territory was known to the Spanish colonists as the Apalachee Province...
) and Mogoso (Mocoço) as "separate kingdoms" from the Calusa. Ucita and Mocoço at the time of de Soto's visit were subject to a chief named Paracoxi (also given as Urribarracuxi). De Soto marched to the town of Paracoxi, which appears to have been inland from Tampa Bay, where he found maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
in cultivation (the Safety Harbor people made little or no use of maize).
In 1567 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was a Spanish admiral and explorer, best remembered for founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. This was the first successful Spanish foothold in La Florida and remained the most significant city in the region for several hundred years. St...
visited Tocobaga. From his description of his visit, scholars believe that Tocobaga was the type site for the Safety Harbor culture. Menéndez had contacted the Calusa and reached an accommodation with Carlos, the Calusa 'king', including a 'marriage' with Carlos' sister. As Carlos was anxious to gain an advantage over his enemy Tocobaga, Menéndez took Carlos and 20 of his warriors to Tocobaga by ship. Menéndez persuaded Tocobaga and Carlos to make peace. He recovered several Europeans and a dozen Calusa being held as slaves by Tocobaga. Menéndez left a garrison of 30 men at Tocobaga to encourage the people of the town to convert to Christianity; he returned Carlos and the other Calusa to their town.
The Tocobaga had little contact with Europeans after Menéndez's visit (the garrison did not stay at Tocobaga for long). The population of the Tocobaga declined severely in the 17th century, due mostly to the spread of infectious diseases brought by the Europeans, to which they had little resistance. In addition, all of the Florida tribes lost population due to the raids by the Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
and Yamasee
Yamasee
The Yamasee were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans that lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida.-History:...
around the end of the 17th century. Remnants of the Calusa, to the south of the Tocobaga, were forced into extreme southern Florida. When Florida came under British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
rule in 1763 following its defeat of France in the Seven Years War, the Calusa emigrated with Spanish refugees and resettled with them in Cuba. In any case, the Tocobaga culture disappeared from historical records in the 18th century.