Ortona, Fla. ? Archaeologists on Thursday said they had uncovered a sophisticated 2,000-year-old canal system and a huge pond dug by ancient Indians near this tiny town, located west of Lake Okeechobee.

The canal site is so spectacular that it could outshine the discovery four years ago of the mysterious Miami Circle ruins near downtown Miami, one expert said.

Ortona, population 500, is just north of the Caloosahatchee River, part of the cross state Okeechobee Waterway.

Included was an elaborate seven-mile-long canal that was excavated by ancient Indians, now extinct, who lived and farmed in that area.

The canals were used for fishing and for transportation around rapids that used to exist in the Caloosahatchee River.

Robert Carr, executive director of the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy in Miami, called the discoveries “engineering marvels.”

Carr estimates that hundreds of American Indians lived in this area and used handmade tools of wood and shell to dig out millions of yards of sand and soil.