Artifact Collection Processing and Analysis Methodology - Alamo Church and Long Barrack Restoration Project

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Mission San Antonio de Valero and the Alamo – A Construction History from Mission to Military Fortress, Texas, United States", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The artifacts recovered from the Alamo Church and Long Barrack Restoration Project underwent various lab processing methods to ensure the preservation, organization, and integrity of the artifact assemblage. All cultural material was processed at the onsite archaeological lab where artifacts were washed, sorted, and cataloged. Throughout the sorting and cataloging stages, specific artifact classification systems were implemented to ensure organization, proper identification, and standardization of data. Additionally, this classification system aided in the various quality control checks performed during lab processing, and most importantly, the artifact analysis. Overall, archaeological investigations rendered thousands of artifacts that both intrigued and challenged project personnel. This paper aims to explore lab processing methodologies, artifact classification system, general summary of assemblage, and future research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Mission San Antonio de Valero and the Alamo – A Construction History from Mission to Military Fortress, Texas, United States   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow