They built a luxury tower in Miami and found 2,500-year-old Tequesta remains

The discovery of archaeological remains at least 2,500 years old in a place in Miami where a luxury real estate complex he asks what the legacy of the extinct Tequesta tribe means in a city where almost everything looks new and most of its inhabitants are from elsewhere.

The works of the signature project Related group are being carried out almost in parallel with excavations led by archaeologist Robert Carr on land where it is believed that The Tequestas performed their ceremoniesa people who inhabited southeastern Florida from the 3rd century BC until their extinction in the 19th century.

Very close to there and on the banks of the river to which it gives its name a city that turned 125 in 2021 and where 54% of its inhabitants were born elsewhere is the Miami Circle.

It is a stone circle also discovered due to a real estate development and whose construction is also attributed to the “complex and stratified” Tequesta company, in Carr’s words.

The archaeologist was hired by the Related Group, owned by Cuban-born entrepreneur Jorge Pérez, who at the beginning of baccarat project foresaw the possibility of finding archaeological remains in the place.

For this reason it has disbursed more than in the last 2 years $20 million in archaeological digs alonerepresentatives of the group told EFE.

As part of the company’s commitment to a process “transparent and inclusive” As for the site and the artifacts found, as Pérez recently pointed out, Carr sends the Miami mayor’s office a weekly report on the performance of its duties.

At the latest session of the Miami Historic Environmental and Preservation Board, held on April 4, the company promised to deliver in approximately 6 months.”an action plan to honor the site and ensure proper placement of artifacts for future studies.”

The issue of archaeological remains has sparked a debate in Miami. For archaeologist and professor at the University of Miami William Pestlethe city must officially designate the place as an “archaeological site” and “request that the finds that have already been excavated are preserved, properly preserved, studied and disclosed to the public,” he told EFE.

Precisely, in the last meeting of the Council, which saw the participation of residents, developers and a representative of indigenous peoples of Floridait was unanimously approved to start the process of historical designation of a part of the lot where one of the three Baccarat towers would be located.

The Council, which if this designation were approved would have legal jurisdiction over conservation planshas decided not to act on the other part of the land until it has received the company’s report once the archaeological excavations are complete.

In this way, the real estate developer can continue without setbacks with the work of this project which will include a total of 1,400 housing unitssome up to 818 m2 of surface area.

Pestle believes that city authorities should require funds to be allocated to redesign buildings “so as to minimize the impact on the archaeological resources that will be recovered” and also “provide that there are funds and a plan to build a museum on the site“.

According to Pestle, some of the pottery, food scraps and household items found “are older than Machu Picchu, the Roman Empire, the Parthenon, the pyramids of Egypt and the Minoan/Mycenaean civilizations”, a statement with which his colleague Carr disagrees.

Before the meeting, the head of the excavations stressed the importance of the site, but doubted that the finds could be more than 7,000 years old.

For his part, Robert Rosean activist of the American Indian Movement of Florida, has asked the Council to stop work completely since then no one should profit from “sacred objects”.“, according to the media.

For Pestle, the council has taken positive steps “but they haven’t gone as far as conservationists would have liked to see and there is still a lot of progress in the future.” legal process“.

“We know it work together to preserve of archaeologically significant sites is a collaborative effort that benefits everyone,” said Jorge Pérez conciliatory in a public statement. EFE