A Sacred Site

 I had an opportunity to visit an ancient Tocobagan Indian mound in Florida. It was near the site where some of the Spanish conquistadors first landed and the Tocobaga lived in this region with several other tribes. 

The family who bought this property were historians and they knew their ground was sacred. You can find this tour at discoverfloridatours.com. I really appreciate the preservation of the land that they have done. Some of the carved shells are laying exactly where the Tocobaga left them thousands of years ago. 

This mound is called the "Anderson/Narváez Mound" which is named after the previous and current owners of the land. The mound itself is considered to be in "pristine condition" by archeologists thanks to the efforts of the previous and new owners of the territory. 

There are four different reasons why Native Americans would build a mound. Burial is the most familiar but there are also ceremonial, trade and ritual purposes. No one knows why this mound was built and it has not been excavated. 

Many of the plants surrounding the mound are native to the region and were the same plants the native peoples used to nourish and heal their bodies. 

There are paths wandering through the jungle landscape that allow you to view all the vegetation and wildlife. They brought peacocks onto the land in the 1960s and they seem tame and feel right at home.

 

There is a nursery when you first enter the site where they raise a lot of native plants. 

Look at these beautiful orchids!