Indigenous History • The Mural • Miami’s First People
The New World Mural 1513, created in 1987–1988 by The Miami Artisans —
John Conroy, William Mark Coulthard, Wade S. Foy, Jerome Villa Bergsen, Ana Bikic, and Phyllis Shaw —
was designed to honor the Tequesta people as central figures in Florida’s earliest recorded history. In the mural, the Tequesta chiefs stand with dignity beside Juan Ponce de León, portrayed not as conquered figures but as sovereign partners in the encounter that helped shape the region that would become Miami.
Long before European contact, the region and river were already called Miami by the Tequesta, an Indigenous people who lived along the Miami River, the coast, and Biscayne Bay.
Archaeology and historical research show that the Tequesta:
Lived in the region for thousands of years
Built complex coastal villages connected by waterways
Practiced woodworking, fishing, ceremonial rituals, and extensive canoe travel
Maintained settlements around the Miami Circle, a prehistoric ceremonial site
Navigated the Everglades and traded with neighboring cultures
The Tequesta are one of the foundational identities of South Florida’s deep human history.
According to early Spanish records, Juan Ponce de León entered Biscayne Bay in 1513, documented its geography, and recorded contact with the Tequesta people.
This encounter is the earliest written description of Miami as an inhabited place.
In the mural, this moment becomes a symbolic center:
Ponce de León and the Tequesta chiefs meet as equal presences.
The intent was to restore balance to a history often told from only one side.
The Tequesta are essential to understanding:
The earliest identity of Miami
The Indigenous geography of Biscayne Bay
The cultural origins of South Florida
The context of Ponce de León’s recorded voyage
The symbolism represented in the Freedom Tower mural
By depicting the Tequesta with dignity and authority, the mural corrects historical erasure and restores a fuller understanding of early Florida.
The New World Mural 1513 restores visibility to the Tequesta by:
Presenting them as sovereign figures
Uniting Indigenous and European histories
Illustrating the earliest recorded encounter in the region
Honoring their presence as the first Miamians
Connecting the ancient past to the modern city
This balance between cultures is a central part of the mural’s meaning.
While archaeologists trace the Tequesta to several thousand years of documented presence, the land itself holds older layers of human history now lost to climate shifts, sea-level changes, storms, and migrations.
The Tequesta represent the visible inheritors of that long, complex story.
The 1987–1988 artistic team —
John Conroy, William Mark Coulthard, Wade S. Foy, Jerome Villa Bergsen, Ana Bikic, and Phyllis Shaw —
created the New World Mural 1513 with a clear purpose: to elevate both narratives — the Tequesta and Juan Ponce de León — with equal dignity and historical clarity.
By the late 20th century, the history of Ponce de León had become murky, misrepresented, or mocked, while the history of the Tequesta had often been ignored or minimized.
To restore truth, the artists placed both figures on the same level, occupying the same central space in the composition.
In the mural:
The Tequesta chiefs and Ponce de León stand side by side, as equals
They are divided only by the poem of Edwin Markham, symbolizing a bridge between worlds
Neither is elevated above the other
Both stories are honored, preserved, and brought back into public memory
The intention was truth, transparency, and pride:
to restore the presence of the Native Americans who lived here long before us,
and to reclaim the dignity of Ponce de León’s 1513 voyage,
so that both narratives contribute to a more complete and honest history.
History is a mosaic.
Every fragment matters.
Nothing should be tainted, erased, or diminished.
Ponce de León — The 1513 Voyage
The New World Mural — Creation & Meaning
Freedom Tower — Architecture & Legacy
Visit the Freedom Tower to see the New World Mural 1513 in person.
Read the new artist interview (VoyageMIA):
(link)
For questions, corrections, or historical inquiries:
📧 freedomtowermiami@gmail.com