America's Stonehenge saved in centre of Miami

            By David Usborne in Miami

            1 December 1999

            An American Indian archaeological site in the heart of Miami,
revealing secrets going back at least 2,000 years, has had an eleventh-hour
reprieve.

            Hours before a developer was due to obliterate the "Miami Circle"
yesterday, county commissioners voted to borrow $8.7m (£5.4m) to help to buy
him off. Two 40-storey towers were to go up on the plot, at the mouth of the
Miami River on the edge of Biscayne Bay. Barring last-minute glitches,
however, the way is open for a deal that will see the building of a cultural
museum on the site.

            To the passer-by, it doesn't look much - a dusty parcel of 2.2
acres surrounded by chain-link fencing in the shadow of the giant Sheraton
Hotel. At its centre is a circle of pale limestone, 38ft in diameter, pitted
with what look like post-holes. But to historians and archaeologists who have
been excavating here furiously for months, this is nothing less than
America's Stonehenge.

            Discovered last year, when some apartment buildings were
demolished, the site stirred excitement among archaeologists worldwide. Even
more astonished was Miami itself: heritage in this city meant South Beach's
touristinfested Art Deco district. Now, right in its heart, it has possibly
the most important Native American treasure trove on the continent. Most
experts believe the circle is the work of the Tequesta Indians, who for
centuries roamed the lower half of the Florida peninsula. They think the
post-holes supported the roof of a meeting house or even a temple - some of
the patterns appear to have mystical alignments to the Sun.

            Moreover, carbon dating suggests that the site, if not the circle
itself, dates back at least 2,000 years or even beyond. Among artefacts
uncovered are the remains of a 5ft shark.

            "For many people in South Florida there is a sense of
rootlessness and a lack of a sense of history," said John Ricisak, a state
archaeologist. "We know now there is history here."

            In February, Miami-Dade County filed a lawsuit giving it the
right to take possession of the land on condition it paid the construction
company, Brickell Point, its market value, put at $26.7m. But a disappointing
response to fund-raising meant the county was $8.7m short of the $20m it
needed on Monday. The day was saved by the Trust for Public Land, a
preservation group based in San Francisco, which offered to lend the £8.7m at
8.5 per cent interest.

            © 1999 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd.
 
 
 

CLICK FOR MIAMI SAVE THE CIRCLE HOMEPAGE
Homepage

for more information please email us at: info@savethecircle.org

VISION EARTH -- SAVE THE CIRCLE

1825 NE 149 Street
Miami, Florida, USA 33181

FAX: 305.945.0300
OR CALL 305.945.6666
OR 800-4-CIRCLE (800-424-7253)