ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — 1000 years ago, people carried shells here – adding them to an already massive mound that's 900 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 23 feet above the average high tide.

A shell mound — part of the indigenous Tocobaga people’s village — is also part of the Jungle Prada neighborhood in St. Pete, looking out over Boca Ciega Bay.

Part of the mound is in the Jungle Prada de Narváez Park, and another part reaches across the property of the Anderson family, purchased in the 1940s by Harold “Happy” Anderson.

Grandson David Anderson guides the Jungle Prada Site Tour in St. Petersburg. His parents, Erik and Doris, created the Sacred Lands Preservation and Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Tocobaga people’s legacy.

Anderson is the third generation of family caretakers, committed to sharing this historical site with the public.

The tours start more than 20 feet below the mound, near the shoreline of Boca Ciega Bay. That’s where the Tocobaga fled from a Spanish conquistador and explorer in the 1500s.

“This was a fishing village of a few hundred people – and this was an army of Conquistadors on their ships with their horses and guns,” said Anderson.

Anderson guides visitors toward the Tocobaga’s Plaza area enroute to the mound. It’s past where peacocks — yes, peacocks — are currently hanging near the family home. The fixtures have been there since the 1950s.

The plaza is 12 feet above sea level.

“And all the shells you see was brought by the Tocobaga as their building material,” said Anderson.

And about a dozen feet higher is the top of the shell mound.

“When people come for the tour, I want them to take away there is a lot more to Florida history than meets the eye," said Anderson.

The Anderson Mound at the Jungle Prada Complex has tours Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

If you can’t make the tour times, you can still get a look at part of the mound complex at the city park next door.