JUNGLE PRADA SITE

From ca. 1000-1700 CE, the indigenous Tocobaga people inhabited a village whose remnants feature in the Jungle Prada site. Archaeologists hypothesize that a micco (chief) lived in a dwelling atop the 12-foot-high platform mound overlooking the plaza, which may have served as a ceremonial area. A 900-foot-long midden mound contains the refuse of Tocobaga’s primary food source, fish and shellfish harvested from the bay, as well as other items that help archaeologists better understand the lifestyle of Florida’s indigenous people. Some historians also attribute this general vicinity to the April 12, 1528 landing of conquistador Pánfilio de Narváez’s expedition to colonize Florida. Narvaez and 300 men departed on an ill-fated overland trek, of which only four survived. Over the next 8 years, those men walked to the Pacific Ocean in search of rescue, becoming the first Europeans and African to cross North America. Diseases introduced by Spanish expeditions eventually eliminated much of the native population of Florida, the likely reason this village was abandoned. Although most former Tocobaga sites along Boca Ciega Bay were destroyed by urban development in the 20th century, the Jungle Prada site remains well-preserved.