A Case of Spanish Barbery? - Revisiting The Obsidian Blades From The 1554 Wreck Of The San Esteban (41KN10)

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere." , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Between 1972-1975, four obsidian blades from the 1554 shipwreck of the Spanish ship the San Esteban (41KN10) were recovered by archeologists off the coast of South Padre Island, Texas. Chemical sourcing of the specimens by the Missouri University Research Reactor in 2018 identified the provenance of the blades as central Mexican sources in the Sierra de las Navajas. This research provides an opportunity to reconsider the significance of these artifacts in light of other artifacts recovered from the 1554 wreck sites and similar finds from other sixteenth century sites in the Western Hemisphere. Far from anomalies, the obsidian blades are reinterpreted as examples of an indigenous manufacturing industry that supplied a needed commodity for the barbering kits of residents and travelers in the Spanish colonies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere.

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 545