18th-Century San Antonio Spanish Colonial Mission Complexes: An Evolution, American Revolution, and Tejano Ranchos1

Summary

Recent historical archaeology studies have provided new perspectives of indigenous interaction with Spanish Colonial Missions in the United States. By 1718, Texas colonists were the product of Spanish and native intermarriage for over 200 years before their arrival. Few studies have considered the multicultural aspects’ effect to the historic landscape and archaeological record. An emic perspective of how 18th-Century Tejano Ranchos evolved from the Spanish Mission complex has yet to be incorporated into the archaeological literature, particularly the impact of successful Tejano Ranchos on the American Revolution. San Antonio Founding Initiative Project researchers have reviewed and analyzed original Spanish Colonial written texts, verified 20th-century translations, incorporated oral histories, and evidence from the archaeological record at three historic Tejano Ranchos. Researchers offer a model of five evolutionary stages that are important for our understanding of land tenure, illicit and sanctioned trade, and identity that comprise aspects of Spanish Colonial Mission archaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017   •
• Dr. Kathleen K. Gilmore’s Legacy and the Future of Spanish and French Colonial Archaeology in Tejas

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 736