The Foundation of Fransciscan Missions: Trial and Error and Implications for Archaeological Research and Resource Management

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.

The locations and layouts of Franciscan missions was prescribed in great detail by the Crown. Yet, as it often happens with rules and regulations and their implementations, the realities of building a shield against perceived or real invading empires and the incomplete knowledge of Friars, often resulted in the founding of missions in one ideal location only to find that flooding, difficulties with constructing workable irrigation systems, or other unforeseen hazards caused the mission to be moved to a new location. This presentation discusses such failed exercised and their potential archaeological record at first, second, and even third mission sites, that were occupied for short times before abandonment. Topics such as the Campo Santos, architectural features such as churches and granaries, agricultural infrastructure, and site layout are addressed using a comparative database.  

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): 999