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More History of Marco Island

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Fast facts:

In 1545, when Spain ruled the New World, a ship sailed from Cartagena, homeward bound. On board was a 13 year-old boy named Escalante de Fontaneda, who was being sent to school in Spain by his wealthy parents. The ship encountered a hurricane and was wrecked off the coast of Florida, with survivors captured by local Indian tribesmen.

The Indians considered the Spanish stupid because they did not follow orders in the native tongue, and they killed most of them. Fontaneda survived by being quick-witted and rapidly learning some native words. He was kept by various tribes during his 17 years in Florida: the Tekesta, Jauga, Ais, Tokobega, Mayami and Calusa (old spellings used).

It was said that Carlos, the Calusa chief, held sway from Tampa to Matecumbe Key, and dominated the eastern side of the peninsula as well. Fontaneda, in addition to several languages, learned much of the culture, history, religion and political organization of these indigenous people. Records in Spanish archives indicate that Fontaneda was taken back to Spain by Hernando de Soto.

Fontaneda talked to monks who transcribed his tales of captivity, and we would know a good deal more of the early tribes here but for an unfortunate accident. Weighed down by heavy clothing and armor, the young man was drowned while crossing a river on horseback after arriving in Spain.

Other legends also exist which parallel this, one in particular of Juan Ortiz. Some writers have even speculated that it was the basis for the story of John Smith and Pocahontas in later years. This seems a little far-fetched, given the geographical distance between Florida and the northeast, but when dealing with legends you never know absolutely what is true, but several references to source material about Fontaneda can be found on the Internet under his name.

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Marion Nicolay and Betsy Perdichizzi of the Marco Island Historical Society are compiling this report on a weekly basis for the Eagle. Shirley Beckwith oversees the archiving of photos for MIHS.