Jungle Prada Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jungle Prada Site
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Looking north from the fishing pier at Jungle Prada de Narvaez Park
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida |
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| NRHP reference No. | 03000007 |
| Added to NRHP | February 4, 2003 |
The Jungle Prada Site is a really cool historical place in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's also known as Jungle Mound or Anderson-Narváez Site. This site is special because it has ancient mounds built by the Tocobaga people. It's also where a famous Spanish explorer, Pánfilo de Narváez, landed a long time ago.
This important site covers both public and private land. Part of it is the Jungle Prada de Narvaez city park. The Jungle Prada Site was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 4, 2003. This means it's recognized as a very important place in history.
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Exploring the Jungle Prada Site's Past
The Tocobaga tribe lived at the Jungle Prada site for a very long time. They were here for about 600 years, from the year 1000 to 1600 CE. Their village was huge and had many mounds along Boca Ciega Bay. These mounds stretched for more than three miles (4.8 km)!
Sadly, most of these ancient mounds were taken apart. People used the dirt from them to fill in land for new buildings in the 1900s. But some mounds at the Jungle Prada site are still here today.
What Mounds Can You See?
One of the remaining mounds is about twelve-foot (three-point-seven-metre) tall. This was likely a plaza mound, used for important ceremonies or gatherings. There's also a very long midden mound. A midden mound is like an ancient trash pile, but it's full of clues about how people lived! This one is about 23-foot (7.0 m) tall and 900-foot (270 m) long. It's also 300-foot (91 m) wide.
This large midden mound stretches from the public Jungle Prada de Narvaez park onto private land. The parts of the mounds on private property are very special. They are considered "archeologically pristine," which means they haven't been disturbed much. This makes them very valuable for learning about the past.
The First Catholic Mass
The Diocese of St. Petersburg has placed a special marker at the Jungle Prada site. This marker tells us that the first Catholic Mass in Florida happened right here. This was a very important event in the history of the state.
Where is the Jungle Prada Site?
The Jungle Prada site is located on the eastern shore of Boca Ciega Bay. You can find it near Park Street North and Elbow Lane (17th Avenue) in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Public and Private Areas
As we mentioned, the site is split between public and private land. The public parts are within the city park. Here, you can see some of the Tocobaga mounds. There are also picnic tables, a fishing pier, and a boat launch. The City of St. Petersburg takes care of these areas.
The better-preserved mounds are on private property. There's even a small archaeological museum there! You can usually visit these parts of the site through a guided tour. This is a great way to learn more about the Tocobaga people and the history of the area.
