Mysteries of the Mounds

Mysteries of the Mounds. . The areas before and around you were home to Amerindians from the time of 800 AD to 1500 AD, and perhaps even earlier., Discarding their food remains of shell and bone, as well as broken pottery and tools, the Amerindians created mounds, called shell middens, near their palm-thatched huts. Using this village debris as fill, they built the large central temple mound The temple mound served as the foundation for the houses of their leaders and as a stage for religious ceremonies watched from the plaza below by the assembled villagers., For reasons unknown to us, the ritual buildings would be regularly burned or torn down. The people would cover the mound with another layer of shell midden, then top it with a cap of earth and erect new buildings. And so the temple mound grew in size and elevation., Other mounds in this complex also seem to have been intentionally formed into particular shapes by the prehistoric natives. We do not know the reason for their construction. Archaeological research indicates the temple mound was used until at least 1500 AD and was the largest of the many located around Tampa Bay., Guardians of the Temple Mound , Each visitor to the temple mound is a guardian of both the past and the future. Try to identify with the spiritual importance and natural order that the passage of time has given to this special place., You can help preserve this living record of history for future visitors by staying on the marked boardwalks and footpaths., Remember that Federal and State law prohibits collecting or removing any materials from the preserve. , (caption) Warrior image based on drawings of northern Florida Timucua people by French artist Jaques LeMoyne. (Early 1560s)