The Miami Circle
A 2,000-year-old Tequesta Indian ceremonial site discovered in 1998 when a developer tried to build condos. The condos did not get built.
In 1998, archaeologists doing a routine survey before a condo demolition found a perfect 38-foot circle of holes cut into the limestone bedrock. The holes held animal bones, tools, and human remains. The site was 2,000 years old. The developer wanted to build anyway. Miami-Dade County bought the land for $26.7 million.
The Tequesta people lived at the mouth of the Miami River for thousands of years before European contact. The Miami Circle is the only known prehistoric structure cut into the bedrock in the eastern United States. It is surrounded by Brickell condos. The contrast is the whole story.
The Miami Circle is at the mouth of the Miami River at 2 SE 4th St in Brickell, adjacent to the Hyatt Regency. The site is a public park, free to visit, open daily. The circle itself is covered with a protective layer but the outline is marked. The surrounding park has good views of the river mouth and Biscayne Bay.