Tequesta Village

Tequesta Village dwelling has been discovered.  The picture above is a circle discovered several years ago and believed to be associated with a Tequesta dwelling, the same people discussed below.

February 2014:  Recent news from Miami, Florida reported an ancient Tequesta Village remains had been discovered under downtown Miami where construction of a hotel, movie theaters, shopping outlets, and a restaurant was about to get underway.

The Executive Director of Archaeological and Historical Conservation of Florida, Bob Carr, indicated the site had “elaborate” structures and other artifacts from the indigenous Tequesta people, a Native American tribe of Florida, which flourished for 1,000 years before the time of Spanish contact early in the 16th century.  By 1763, only a few Tequesta descendants remained when the British took control of Florida from Spain.  They were all relocated to Cuba and are one of Florida’s lost tribes.  Perhaps with new excavations, the Tequesta may not have been lost after all.

The Tequesta people were hunters and gatherers occupying the shores of the Miami River.  They were one of the first tribes to settle in South Florida and built many villages.  A map from 1630 labels the entire peninsula of Florida as “Tegesta,” suggesting it was named after a dominant tribe who lived there. Today the town of Tequesta, Florida is located just north of Miami. Watch this short video.

The city of Miami now has a decision to make – between development of a modern cultural complex or preservation of an ancient cultural site.  Explore More! in Cultural Anthropology and learn about the Global Villages and the people who live in them.