Kalunga!: Identifying Afrodescendant Landscapes in Spanish Santo Domingo, 1502-1822

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The first Afrodescendant peoples arrived in the Americas on Spanish ships to the island of Hispaniola in 1492, and by 1502 played an integral role in the development of the colony of Spanish Santo Domingo. Both free and enslaved Afrodescendants undertook most of the labor needed to construct the urban landscapes on the island, as well as the production of sugar, and the extraction of metals in rural landscapes. By 1502, however, documents also record Afrodescendant runaway activity on the island. This dichotomy continues throughout the existence of Spanish Santo Domingo, evidenced in historical documents. Yet, few attempts have been made to identify these locations cartographically. This presentation will document attempts to create maps that can guide future Afrodescendant archaeological research in the Dominican Republic.


Cite this Record

Kalunga!: Identifying Afrodescendant Landscapes in Spanish Santo Domingo, 1502-1822. Pauline Kulstad-González, Theresa Singleton. Presented at The 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2024 ( tDAR id: 499671)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -90.747; min lat: 3.25 ; max long: -48.999; max lat: 27.683 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39986.0