San Carlos Bay

San Carlos Bay lies on Florida’s southwestern coast, where sheltered waters open toward the Gulf of Mexico among barrier islands and mangrove shores. The Calusa occupied this coast and built substantial settlements from shells and earth. In nearby Estero Bay their center stood on Mound Key, a remarkable island shaped by generations of inhabitants. In 1566 the Spanish established San Antón de Carlos there, but abandoned the fort and mission a few years later.