Tocobaga (occasionally Tocopaca) was the name of a chiefdom of Native Americans, its chief, and its principal town during the 16th century. The chiefdom was centered around the northern end of Old Tampa Bay, the arm of Tampa Bay that extends between the present-day city of Tampa and northern Pinellas County. The exact location of the principal town is believed to be the archeological Safety Harbor site. This is the namesake for the Safety Harbor culture, of which the Tocobaga are the most well-known group.
The name "Tocobaga" is often applied to all of the native peoples of the immediate Tampa Bay area during the first Spanish colonial period (1513–1763). While they were culturally very similar, most of the villages on the eastern and southern shores of Tampa Bay were likely affiliated with other chiefdoms, such as the Pohoy, Uzita, and Mocoso. Study of archaeological artifacts has provided insight into the everyday life of the Safety Harbor culture.
But, little is known about the political organization of the early peoples of the Tampa Bay area. The scant historical records come exclusively from the journals and other documents made by members of several Spanish expeditions that traversed the area in the 1500s.
The Tocobaga and their neighbors disappeared from the historical record by the early 1700s, as endemic diseases carried by European explorers decimated the local population. They had no medical acquired immunity to these new diseases. Survivors were displaced by the raids and incursions of other indigenous groups from the north. The Tampa Bay area was virtually uninhabited for over a century.
Tocobaga (occasionally Tocopaca) was the name of a chiefdom of Native Americans, its chief, and its principal town during the 16th century. The chiefdom...
one of the few Native American cultures that did not have to farm. The Tocobaga was likely the dominant chiefdom in the area when Spanish explorers arrived...
southern Florida and the Tampa Bay area, including the Tequesta, Mayaimi, and Tocobaga, as well as the Calusa, spoke dialects of a common language. This language...
Fawcett. CL went on to almost eliminate citrus growing in Florida by 1925. A Tocobaga Indian mound that is situated in the park is a National Historic Landmark...
Anderson-Narváez Site) is an archaeological site featuring Indigenous Tocobaga mounds and the location of the historical Narváez expedition landing. The...
Pinellas County. Best known of the Safety Harbor people was the chiefdom of Tocobaga, which was likely located at the Safety Harbor site in Philippe Park in...
The Safety Harbor site is the probable location of the chief town of the Tocobaga, the best known of the groups practicing the Safety Harbor culture. The...
of Historic Places on December 10, 1985. The area was once inhabited by Tocobaga Indians (from approximately 900 A.D. until the 1500s), and they left mounds...
1650 5+ J. R. Swanton & James Mooney 264 SE Woodlands Florida Purchase Tocobaga 1,000 1650 James Mooney 265 SE Woodlands Florida Purchase Yustaga 1,000...
Location: North America (modern Southern United States) Spain New Spain Tocobaga Uzita Apalachee Timucua Autes Inconclusive Spanish troops lost the route...
found an abandoned canoe, presumably Tocobaga, on the island in 1757. Spanish incursions and the collapse of the Tocobaga population, however, meant that their...
Captaincy General of Yucatán. Narváez expedition (1527–1536) Spain New Spain Tocobaga Uzita Apalachee Timucua Autes Inconclusive Spanish troops lost the route...
the land that encompasses the Brooker Creek Preserve was the Tocobaga tribe. The Tocobaga declined in the 17th century and became extinct in the 18th century...
Princess Hirrihigua Indian Mound, which was originally created by the Tocobaga, is at the center of the park. There is a historical marker near the mound...
the Calusa, abandoned in 1569 The Presidio Tocobaga, founded in 1567 on Tampa Bay, destroyed by the Tocobagas within ten months The Presidio Tequesta, founded...
party of Tocobaga clan members, the Spanish decided to travel on to Tampa to meet the tribe. Several of the priests went overland with the Tocobaga while...
non-segregated hospital James McKay Sr., key mayor of Tampa the Mocoso, Tocobaga, and Pohoy indigenous peoples Additional honorees have been selected and...
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