De la Sartén al Fuego - Connecting The Documentary And Material Records of Kitchens In Alta California

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

One of the most vexing problems in historical archaeology is connecting historic folk taxonomies to the material record. Language and classifications evolve often leaving a disconnect that hinders accurate interpretation of the material record. This is further compounded with translation and contemporary cognitive templates. Our research on food and foodways on the Spanish borderlands seeks to rectify this shortcoming by triangulating from multiple information sources. We draw on 18th-19th century ledger books for the supply of Alta California missions and presidios. These documents not only list the cost of items but often their weights. The latter is a quantifiable means of linking artifacts to these records. Contemporaneous paintings provide form and show how material culture was used link the documentary and material records.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow