"The Real and Only True Documents": German Naturalists and the Systematic Observation of Antiquities in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Central Veracruz, Mexico

Summary

This paper examines a small network of amateur naturalists who were among the first to document archaeological remains in central Veracruz, Mexico. Carl Christian Sartorius (1796-1872), Karl Hermann Berendt (1817 - 1878), and Hugo Finck (ca. 1824 - 1895) shared backgrounds as German expatriates living and working as professional farmers and physicians in Veracruz. Their detailed knowledge of the peoples and landscapes of Veracruz, as well as their frequent trips to the field, enabled their documentation of archaeological remains in the rural municipalities in which they worked. Their methods and discussions reflect common themes in the early disciplinary literature, including a focus on material remains as historical sources; the synthesis of multiple sources of information (artifacts, built structures, stratigraphy, and landscapes); the production of accurate maps and sketches; and synthesis of field observations with the archaeological literature produced elsewhere in Mexico and globally. This paper focuses on the transfer of knowledge between these fieldworkers and their museum-based professional counterparts through correspondence, collections, and essays, and concludes with a consideration of how the professionalization of archaeology in the late nineteenth century impacted their scientific legacies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Collaborations and Competition between Professionals and Nonprofessionals in the Production of Archaeological Knowledge in the Americas

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