The Tequesta and the Miami Circle: Miami Before Miami

Long before Miami had a name on a map, people lived at the mouth of the Miami River. They were the Tequesta, and their world was Biscayne Bay, the river, the coastal ridge and the edge of the Everglades.

Life on the bay

The Tequesta fished, gathered shellfish and hunted on land and sea. They built villages along the river and coast and traveled by canoe. Their territory reached from roughly the area of today's Broward County down through the upper Keys. Their main town sat near where the Miami River meets Biscayne Bay, today one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the city.

The Miami Circle

In 1998, during preparations for a high-rise development at Brickell Point, archaeologists uncovered a near-perfect circle of holes carved into the limestone bedrock, about 38 feet across. Known as the Miami Circle, it is believed to be around 2,000 years old and is associated with the Tequesta. The discovery set off a public campaign to save the site, which was ultimately preserved instead of built over.

Contact and decline

Spanish explorers reached the area in the 1500s. Disease, conflict and later slave raids by other groups devastated the Tequesta. By the late 1700s, the remaining people had largely left or been absorbed into other communities, and their language and culture survive only through archaeology and Spanish records.

Visiting today

The Miami Circle site sits beside the river in Brickell, surrounded by towers, a striking reminder of how deep Miami's history goes. HistoryMiami Museum's exhibits offer a good introduction to the region's Native past.

What archaeologists found

Along with the carved circle itself, excavations at Brickell Point turned up artifacts such as shell tools, stone axes made from material not native to South Florida, and animal remains. The non-local stone points to trade networks reaching far beyond Biscayne Bay. Researchers continue to debate the circle's exact purpose, with suggestions including the foundation of a structure such as a council house or ceremonial building.

A fight to save it

When the circle was uncovered, it sat in the path of a planned condominium project. A public campaign followed, involving archaeologists, local residents, Native American groups and elected officials. The state ultimately acquired the site, and it was later designated a National Historic Landmark. The decision became a landmark moment for historic preservation in a city known for building fast.

The Tequesta world

The Tequesta did not farm corn like many other Native peoples in North America. They relied on the rich resources of the bay, the river and the coastal forests: fish, shellfish, sea turtles, deer, palm berries and other wild foods. Their villages were well placed to take advantage of both salt water and the freshwater Everglades.

Seeing the past in the present

Next time you stand on the Miami riverwalk, imagine canoes crossing to the bay and smoke rising from Tequesta houses. Miami's location at the meeting of the river, the bay and the Everglades has drawn people for thousands of years.