The Timucuan-speaking groups of north central Florida which were missionized by the Spanish in the 16^th and 17^th centuries included the Acuera, the Timucuan chiefdom which controlled what today is the Ocklawaha River Valley and the Ocala National Forest. The Acuera appear to have responded very differently to the process of missionization than did the other groups successfully missionized by the Spanish during this period. This dissertation examines the lifeways of the Acuera during the late precontact, contact, and mission periods, considering the historic, linguistic, and archaeological evidence for the lifeways of the Acuera during these periods.

The historic evidence concerning the Acuera chiefdom suggests that they maintained traditional cultural and ritual practices, as well as a chiefdom social structure, both during and after the time Spanish missions existed in their territory. The linguistic evidence suggests that most known names of people and places within the Acuera chiefdom had ritual or supernatural significance. The archaeological evidence from precontact and colonial-era sites within Acuera territory suggests that the Acuera maintained a strong continuity between precontact and colonial-era cultural and ritual practices, including use of the same sites throughout both periods, continuation of ceramic traditions, use of mounds as markers of social space, and rejection and subversion of Spanish norms and controls.

Taking all lines of evidence into consideration, the Acuera appear to have drawn on precontact systems of belief and practice to maintain and strengthen their culture in the face of Spanish attempts to change it. This use of their system of belief allowed the Acuera to maintain their traditional culture when other missionized groups did not.