The Backstory: Three Souls
Prehistoric structures in Miami? Believe it.
Hello from sunny South Florida. February is a time of year where residency here really does feel like a privilege. The warmth has lured settlers for apparently longer than originally thought.
I wrote Three Souls because I was inspired by the local Tequesta people’s belief in each person having three souls: one in the shadow, one in the reflection, and one in the eye. I attached a bit of whimsy to that idea for fun. I thought what if their influence could be felt more deeply if one were close to what could have been one of their religious sites. That’s one theory on what the Miami Circle could have been.
Downtown Miami is pretty well developed with not a whole lot of green spaces. Unless it’s a nature preserve or park, premier waterfront real estate sitting wide open on the Miami River with clear views of the bay is quite the anomaly. From the surface, it looks like a pretty ordinary circle of flagstones with some grass and a plaque, but the Miami Circle was a historically significant find that the State of Florida Preservation 2000 land acquisition program paid $26.7 million to protect. Discovered during a routine archaeological survey conducted during a development project in 1998, The Miami Circle was a big mystery to solve.
The main portion is made up of 24 holes carved in the below limestone in a perfect, 38-foot-diameter circle. Many theorize that these holes were made to hold supports for a an important permanent building structure. But $26 million for some holes? Well, these aren’t just any holes. They are the first evidence of prehistoric structure built into bedrock in the United States. Within the circle, artifacts were found alongside burnt wood, which was radiocarbon dated to somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 years old, meaning it predates other settlements along the East Coast.
Archeologist and co-discoverer of the Miami Circle, Robert Carr gave a fascinating presentation on what has been discovered at the Miami Circle through a virtual program from the Kislak Collection at the MDC Freedom Tower in Miami. The video, where Carr is in conversation with art historian Dr. Carol Damian and Kislak curator Arthur Dunkelman, is still available to view.
In the presentation, Carr said the find “was an extraordinary surprise because up until this time, no structure associated with the Tequesta or any South Florida Indians had ever been uncovered.”
Another significant Tequesta site was found on the north side of the Miami River. That Royal Palm site is currently being uncovered, but awareness of it has been around a long time. When the Royal Palm Hotel was being built there in the 1890s, workers unearthed countless skeletons of human remains. Unfortunate side fact: “The skulls or the cranium, many of them were collected in barrels and sold at a shop on Flagler Street to tourists for $5 a skull,” Carr said.
During the presentation, Carr also shared an image of the cardinal east post hole made in the Miami Circle. It’s unique from the other holes excavated because it resembles the shape of an eye, an important symbol for eastern tribes. The eye was said to hold one’s immortal soul and this one, preserved for thousands of years in limestone, lines up with rising sun. Carr admits it’s an interpretation, but it does reaffirm the idea that the structure was made by the Tequesta.
The idea of anything ancient in Miami, a place known for leveling the old to make room for the new, is pretty fantastic. I hope other sites reveal more about old Florida.
This is so interesting! :00 so long ago!!