Archaeological Investigations At La Isabela, Dominican Republic

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere." , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Indiana University (IU) is assisting the Dominican Republic in the assessment of terrestrial and underwater archaeological components of La Isabela settlement. Founded in 1494 by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage, the medieval styled settlement is situated on a calcareous cliff with vestiges of a church, warehouse, watch tower, shipyard, and the fortified house of Columbus. IU efforts include recommendations for long term stabilization of the eroded cliff and underwater recovery of archaeological components of the house of Columbus as identified in the Report of the UNESCO Technical Assistance Mission Action Plan. In addition to the artifacts eroded or pushed into the sea, IU electronic survey has documented thirty-one underwater magnetic anomalies adjacent to the settlement that may represent one or more of the documented six ships to have sunk in the 1495 hurricane, including the flagship of Columbus.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere.

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 699