The Tocobaga tribe inhabited the Jungle Prada site for approximately 600 years, from 1000-1600 CE. Their village complex in the area once contained a series of mounds stretching up and down Boca Ciega Bay for more than 3 miles; however most of the mounds were dismantled and used as fill for 20th century urban development. The Jungle Prada site mounds that remain include a 12 foot-tall plaza mound and a 23 foot-tall, 900 foot-long, 300 foot-wide midden mound, that stretches from the Jungle Prada de Narvaez public city park onto private property. The portion of the mounds that are on private property are considered "archeologically pristine." The Jungle Prada Site is believed to be at or near the 1528 landing site of the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez's Florida expedition to explore and expand colonial New Spain into North America. Of the 450 members of the Narvaez expedition that landed at Jungle Prada, 300 departed on a disastrous overland expedition that boasted only four survivors, including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca who wrote an account of the journey. These men would walk to the Pacific Ocean over the next eight years, becoming the first Europeans and first person of African descent -- Estevanico to cross the North American continent. The Diocese of St. Petersburg placed a marker at the Jungle Prada site, acknowledging it as the location of the first Catholic Mass in Florida. In September 2012 a few miles north in Largo, St. Jerome Catholic Church unveiled three murals depicting the Narváez landing, the first Mass celebrated in Florida, and early interaction between the Spanish and the Tocobaga.
Location
The Jungle Prada site spans both public and private land. Portions of the Tocobaga mounds, as well as picnic tables, a fishing pier, and boat launch are located within the city park, and are maintained by the City of St. Petersburg. The better-preserved mounds, along with a small archeological museum, are located on private property and are accessible by guided tour. The Jungle Prada site is located on the eastern shore of Boca Ciega Bay, at Park Street North and Elbow Lane in St. Petersburg, Florida.
