Exploring the Archaeological Potential of Historic Ordnance Kept and Displayed in Ports and Colonial Maritime Fortifications of Mexico

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.

Tar-coated under the sun, mounted on concrete bases instead of carriages, outdoor-displayed in courtyards, walls and bulwarks of maritime fortifications built in Viceroyalty Period, or along boulevards and squares of several Mexico coastal cities and towns, historical ordnance have received little attention by historians and archaeologists. This has led to a lack of accurate artifact identification and well-based knowledge about artillery dating, geocultural origin, production processes, technological improvements, distribution networks; as well as the socio-cultural dimension and evolution of ordnance within the maritime cultural port landscape. So, heavy ordnance (mostly cannons) is often removed from its original tie to fortifications, and just seen as environment ornamental complements. This contribution aims to highlight historic ordnance weapons as archaeological indicators for historical-cultural research of colonial fortified maritime localities in Mexico, and to present an initial assessment of the relevance of such material at different scales of study (fortress, port, region, empire).

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): 1051