Situated on U.S. Navy property near the mouth of the St. Johns River is Caracasi, a St. Johns II site (A.D. 900-1250) that was the focus of the 2016 University of North Florida field school. Situated in the vicinity of two previous sand burial mounds known as the Mayport mounds, Caracasi's shell middens extend across a maritime hammock bordering expansive tidal marshes. This study presents
... [Show full abstract] preliminary testing results from the field school and explores the connection to the mortuary mounds once located adjacent to the site. The University of North Florida (UNF) is actively investigating early St. Johns II sites (AD 900-1250) in northeastern Florida as part of our Mill Cove Complex Project. The centerpiece of our research is the Mill Cove Complex, a large village and ceremonial center containing two burial mounds located about 750 m apart. Previous excavations of the Grant and Shields mounds by CB Moore and ongoing excavations by UNF in other areas of the site have yielded raw materials and artifacts demonstrating contacts and interactions with early Mississippian communities, including Macon Plateau and Cahokia. With the broader objective of understanding St. Johns II culture across the region, UNF has undertaken testing of several other contemporaneous sites. With this in mind, the 2016 UNF summer field school focused on the Caracasi 1 site, located along the south side of the St. Johns River approximately 9 miles east of the Mill Cove Complex.