A new WGCU documentary short explores the intriguing history and archaeology of Mound Key in Estero Bay.
Decoding Ancient Florida: Mound Key is available on Oct. 28 at wgcuplus.org, and streaming the next day.
The public site is managed by Koreshan State Park and accessible only by boat. It was built up by the Calusa people over centuries.
"At first glance, it just looks like a beautiful circular thing from space, but it it was designed with purpose," said Michael Savarese, a coastal geologist at The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University. "It's remarkable what the Calusa did with that island."
In more recent years, archaeologists have studied Mound Key to show how massive landscape features called "watercourts" were critical to sustaining the complex and powerful society.
The "watercourts" were designed to trap and store fish, reflecting a long history of Indigenous engineering in Southwest Florida.
"The Calusa were highly intelligent. They were great engineers, great engineers," said Brian Zepeda, a Seminole tribal member.
The first documentary short Decoding Ancient Florida: Mound House explores the Calusa history of the Fort Myers Beach landmark and is available on wgcuplus.org and streaming.
The series is made possible by a grant from the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau and support from Howard K. and Nancy B. Cohen.
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