Historical Museum of Southern Florida

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First Arrivals: The Archaeology of Southern Florida

Adapting to the Tropics
Mid - Late Archaic Periods
5000 B.C. - 500 B.C.

Sea levels began to rise over 9000 years ago, as northern ice sheets melted and the last of the Ice Ages ended. Higher sea levels and a warmer and wetter climate transformed the southern Florida region into a sub-tropical environment with lakes, rivers, ponds, and marshes by 5000 B.C. By around 3000 B.C., the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee formed. The hundreds of small tree islands that dotted the Everglades, along with the coastal ridge, provided dry ground for Archaic Indians and offered small mammals and plants for food. The diet of Archaic peoples also included aquatic animals, such as clams, conch, turtles, and sharks.

Increased food resources and the introduction of pottery led to new methods of preparing food. Archaic Indians first strengthened their pottery by tempering it with fibers or plant materials. They also manufactured axes and adzes from conch shells for working with wood. The production and exchange of shell tools was unique to southern Florida cultures.

With an abundance of food resources, Archaic Indians become more numerous than their ancestors and, eventually, developed permanent villages. Archaeological evidence indicates 5000 years of human settlement in the Everglades.

The River Meets the Bay
The Glades Culture
500 B.C. - A.D. 1763

Gradual improvements in technology, along with the rich and diverse resources provided by wetlands, hammocks, and coastal ridges, enabled prehistoric populations to expand in size and spread throughout southern Florida. The Miami River served as a link between the interior Everglades, the coastal upland ridge, Biscayne Bay, and the barrier islands.

The mouth of the river was a strategic location at which the Tequesta Indians developed a major village. The village, called “Tequesta,” was located on both sides of the river and supported a large community. Proximity to the Everglades, Biscayne Bay, and offshore reefs gave Tequesta Indians access to a bounty of plants and animals for food and raw materials for the production of tools and crafts.

In 1998 archaeologists uncovered part of the Tequesta village on the south bank of the Miami River. Carved into the limestone bedrock were postholes to support a large structure, perhaps a ceremonial or chief's house. Decorated ceramics, stone axes, carved bone, and ceremonial offerings were found mixed with the dense bone and shell refuse of the site. This discovery, along with excavations on the north bank of the river in 1978, revealed 2000 years of human settlement at the mouth of the river.

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