The Tekesta or Tequesta Tribe

The Tekesta or Tequesta Tribe

The Tequesta were a powerful Indian tribe whose main village was at the mouth of the Miami River. What we know about the tribe comes both from Spanish accounts dating to the sixteenth century and archaeology done in recent decades at the Miami Circle.

Like other prehistoric coastal Floridians the Tequesta had no need for agriculture to support a thriving and complex society. Instead, they relied upon the bounty of their environment, hunting, gathering, and utilizing the rich marine resources of the bays, rivers, and ocean. Fishing was a year-round activity and the archaeology of shell middens shows that the Tequesta caught diverse fishes and marine mammals, including mako shark, swordfish, and right whales. The Tequesta were expert wood carvers, and it is believed that makers of dugout canoes held an honored role. The canoes were used both along the coast, and deep into the Everglades.

The Tequesta had political relationships with neighboring tribes, and alliances were often sealed by marriages. Additionally, they participated in regional and long-distance exchange networks. They would provide items from the coast such as pumice, marine shells, shark teeth, and dried whale meat in return for items like stone tools and minerals for making paint.

Researchers have proposed that the Miami Circle represents the foundation of a 2,000 year old structure, and is only a portion of what was once a large settlement, which remains unexcavated. It is one of the most studied sites in Florida, and is still yielding clues about the proud people who built it.