Restoration and Archeology at San Jacinto: Dividing Legend from Fact through Dialogue

Summary

The Battle of San Jacinto resulted in the defeat of Mexico and the establishment of the Texas Republic in 1836 against overwhelming odds.  The site, however, has been altered by the many commemorative contributions, landscape modifications, ground subsidence, and park operations.  These have made interpretaion of this decisive battle difficult.  It is only through archeology and environmental restoration projects that park interpreters are able to create historically correct vistas.  The interpretative program now highlights the changing historiography of the battle over the past fifty years and uses archeology to discuss the ways history is produced by historians, researchers, and archeologists.  The public's own interpretation of the battle, often influenced by culture and folklore, are welcomed in these programs as a point to begin the discussion about the historical process.  Visitors leave knowing more about their history and how it continues to be dynamic even 181 years after the battle. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Interpretation and Presentation of Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Sites: Evolving Horizons   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 957