Encapsulating Diversity in 19thCentury Los Angeles: An Archaeological Analysis of the Los Angeles/ Depot Hotel

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "California: Post-1850s Consumption and Use Patterns in Negotiated Spaces" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2001, the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) purchased the territory of what is now the Los Angeles State Historic Park located in downtown Los Angeles. The land has a diverse and complex history, intertwined with Gabrieliño Tongva, Spanish, Mexican and American ownership. Amongst the DPR excavations, the Los Angeles/ Depot Hotel (1883-1889) was excavated on the property. I suggest that analysis of the material culture found at the hotel in addition to associated archival materials may provide integral information about the ways in which diverse groups of people persisted, created and negotiated space and resources within realms of racial inclusivity and exclusivity, in early American California. Furthermore, analyzing and interpreting this collection can further our understanding of the dialectical relationship between place making and concepts of race and identity, during this transformative period in 19thcentury California history.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• California: Post-1850s Consumption and Use Patterns in Negotiated Spaces

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 711