Collaborative Pfforts to Preserve Los Angeles'History: Saving The Campo Santo

Summary

In October 2010, human remains were uncovered during the development of Los Angeles County land leased to the La Plaza De Cultura y Artes located in the heart of Los Angeles, California. The remains, which were within the well-known Camp Santo historic cemetery, were that of Los Pobladores, Native Americans, indigenous Mexicans, and the Gente de Razon, the very people who founded and built the Pueblo of Los Angeles during the early and mid 1800's. Over 90 individuals were removed, unbeknownst to lineal descendants and Native American tribes and without consultation as to the appropriate handling and disposition of the ancestors as is required by state and federal law. This paper will provide a brief history of the Campo Santo Cemetery, describe the impacts to cemetery burials, and most importantly discuss how the various agencies involved worked effectively with the consulting Federally Recognized tribe to carry out adequate preservation methods. Furthermore, it will also look at the current status of the cemetery location and efforts being made for long term preservation.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Research Designs and Damage Assessments: Appropriate Response to Treat Irrevocably Effected Places

Keywords

Spatial Coverage