The Indians who were to meet, and oppose, the adelantados of America were of two principal cultural groups. That of central and northeast Florida were allied broadly as the Timucua. Tribes in south Florida were dominated by the Calusa.

Timucua territory on the east coast extended from Jacksonville south to Cape Canaveral, and on the west coast from the Aucilla River south to Charlotte Harbor. Prominent tribes within this confederacy were Utina, Potano, Ocala, Tocobaga and Mogoso. These were more or less independent and fought each other often.

Calusa territory was better organized politically. The ruling chief maintained order and exacted tribute. Vassal tribes called them Ka-la Lu-sa -- meaning "fierce and black" -- because of their disposition and their custom of painting themselves with charcoal.

The Timucua and Calusa are believed by Carl Ortwin Sauer, historian associated with the University of California, to be Muskogean stock, unlike the Arawaks and Tainos of the Caribbean Islands. He points out in his book "Sixteenth Century North America" that the Florida natives used bows and arrows and wore penis shields. The Lucayo Indians of the Bahamas called the mainland Cautio, "because the people there wear their secret parts covered with palm leaves woven in a manner of plaiting."

The Calusa "cacique," or principal chief, who repulsed Ponce de Leon was variously called Stababa, Stapana, Sacaspada and Escampaba by Spaniards. Rough and ready explorers spelled the strange Indian name as they heard natives pronounce it.

Stabba's son, Senquene, restrained native pilgrims from Cuba who landed in his territory seeking the Fountain of Youth, allegedly the quest also of Ponce.

Calusa hegemony included the west coast from Charlotte Harbor south, and extended to the Ais, Jeaga, Tequesta and Yucayos on the east

coast. A large number of Calusa towns surrounded Lake Okeechobee, then called Mayaimi, or "big water." Center of the Calusa nation was the Caloosahatchee River for it was a vital transportation link between the coasts via Lake Mayaimi and the Everglades.

The boundary between the Timucua and Calusa cultural groups is not precisely known.

For example, the Soto chronicles do not mention any contact with south Florida Indians -- with the possible exception of Guacata messengers. Consequently early scholars started the most famous expedition from Tampa Bay. This was based on the assumption that the Calusa, who in-disputably occupied the southern part of Charlotte Harbor, also ruled the whole. As Soto did not en-counter Calusa, it followed that he must have landed farther north in Timucua territory.

Ripley P. Bullen, a University of Florida archeologist, uncovered contrary evidence that the boundary between the Calusa and the Timucua-speaking Mogoso tribe passed through the middle of Charlotte Harbor. Excavations of mounds all along the west coast turned up much pottery which sharply delineates Calusa and Timucua territory.

In a report for the Florida Historical Quarterly, Bullen states: "It seems evident that the division between the Timucua and the Calusa territories occurred along the middle of Charlotte Harbor. The north shore of this body of water is very low and marshy. Probably the Calusa paid little or no attention to it. Their `center of gravity,' if contemporary historical data are accurate, was in Estero Bay some 35 miles farther south.

"The southern limit of Timucua territory is of interest to historians since it is one of the points bearing on Hernando de Soto's landing place. The reports of that expedition seem to indicate that the landing occurred in Timucua territory and that the Indians of Ocita and of the villages of Hirrihigua and Mocozo were not very different from those en-countered as the expedition moved northward.