The busycon conversation

The husband and wife team of Rachel and Daniel began in 2007 as Propuesta, Inc., a play on the name of an old family business. Our union and company was born in Miami, along with its founding partner Rachel. We’ve spent our years gaining experience, nurturing our roots, and finding our sense of place. History provides a sense of place. 

Aiming to have a global impact based in Miami, we turned to the history of Miami as our foundation and invoked a native tribe of South Florida, the Tequesta. From the significant archeological research and evidence regarding their way of life, we learned about one of their commonly used tools, the busycon shell. 

Busycon is a genus of very large edible sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Busyconinae. These snails are commonly known in the United States as whelks or busycon whelks. Less commonly and somewhat misleadingly, they are called “conchs”. The busycon is composed of an animal which dwells inside a conical shell. This conical shell shapes the life of its inhabitant.

The Tequesta were known to use the busycon shell as a building tool to help create their own built environment. It was used as an adze or chisel-like woodworking tool and a hole-boring tool for the creation of post holes, which supported their shelters. 

While the life of a busycon ended as a building tool, it began as a dwelling and habitat. Busycon therefore embodies our mission to design and build structures for humanity’s built environment.