The storehouse of the Loyola habitation site in French Guiana (ca. 1725-1768)

Summary

The Loyola habitation (1668-1769) is a Jesuit missionaries’ plantation located in French Guiana. The establishment was dedicated to the production of sugar, indigo, coffee, cocoa, and cotton to finance missions of evangelization among Amerindian groups in South America. The storehouse inventory included tools, food, alcohol and imported goods. This presentation will focus on the excavations conducted on this building. These unearthed a large quantity of building hardware and architectural remains pointing to the state of the store prior to its abandonment. Additionally, a deposit containing a large amount of post-consumption artefacts was discovered near the building - some of these objects witness the activities conducted by the African-American slaves and their European Jesuits masters. Unexpectedly, the remains of a structure that could indicate an earlier construction phase to the storehouse were discovered under it. This structure is located at the same level as a black deposit that could be associated with a blacksmith. This finding, if proved, could establish more than one phase of occupation of the storehouse location, occupation not suggested in the historical record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Historical Archaeology of French America   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-61,02