The Revolutionary Legacy of the Ruiz Family at Site 41BX795

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "From the Famed to the Forgotten: Exploring San Antonio’s Storied History Through Urban Archeology" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

One of only two Tejano signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, José Francisco Ruiz was a complex historical figure who navigated the cultural and political frontier of San Antonio, serving as a broker between Anglo, Spanish, and Native American spheres to further the city’s prosperity. Recent archaeological investigations conducted at his property revealed intact, stratified deposits at the site from the Spanish Colonial period (ca. 1730 to 1810) to the early twentieth century. These deposits contain archaeological features that illustrate the transformation of the Ruiz property through time from an isolated vernacular structure on Plaza de Armas to expansive rental property, a camp yard, and ultimately a grocery store. The site mirrors the arc of Ruiz’s life through its complex occupational history by Ruiz and his descendants, as well the cultural pluralism evident in the assemblage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• From the Famed to the Forgotten: Exploring San Antonio’s Storied History Through Urban Archeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology