Trace Element Analysis Of Metal Projectiles Derived From Coronado Expedition Sites: Results And Interpretations

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Archaeology of Arms: New Analytical Approaches", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The 1540-1542 expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was a military force comprised of some 1,500 Spanish soldiers, Indian allies and camp followers. the expedition's ill-fated trek through northern Mexico and the American Southwest undoubtedly generated scores of encampment and battle sites. Several of these archaeological sites are identified through the discovery of artifacts that are diagnostic of the expedition including copper crossbow boltheads and arquebus lead shot. Researchers applied lead isotope and x-ray fluorescence (xrf) analysis techniques to determine geologic localities of the copper and lead used in the manufacture of these projectiles. Resultant data indicate these localities are in central Mexico and Iberia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology of Arms: New Analytical Approaches   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow