San Antonio de Padua Archaeological Field School
Instructors: Chelsea Blackmore, UCSC & Sarah Peelo, Stanford
Required Texts: 1. Lightfoot, Kent 2005 Indians, Missionaries, and Merchants: The legacy of colonial encounters on the California frontiers. University of California Press, Berkeley (available at Baytree Bookstore). 2. San Antonio de Padua Archaeology Reader (available at Baytree Bookstore). 3. Articles on eCommons
Description: This class introduces archaeological field technique and outlines a critical understanding of the methods and approaches by which archaeology and heritage are interpreted. During the course, students will be involved in all phases of field excavation, trained in lab processing, and encouraged to critically examine how archaeological knowledge is constructed and expressed. The course focuses on material culture produced during the Spanish Colonial period of California as well as issues related to the construction of race, ethnicity, and identity during moments of colonial contact. Through discussions and practical applications, students will develop a thorough understanding of how their work relates to the overall research design of the San Antonio de Padua Mission Archaeological Project. Students will also participate in public archaeology and community outreach. As part of the project’s research design, investigations are driven in-part by the interests and needs of the Salinas descendent community. Students will work with Native American tribal representatives, teach volunteers excavation methods, and develop workshops relevant to community needs.
The field and laboratory methods covered in the course include: site gridding, triangulation techniques, optical transit setup and use, EDM use (total station), EDM software and mapping, floor plan mapping, wall profile mapping, feature and stratigraphic excavation, note-taking, processing of excavation and forms, collection and processing of soil samples, radiocarbon samples, and flotation samples, transect surveys, GPS mapping, USGS map and compass work, UTM mapping, production of site maps, artifact inventory, cataloging and classification.
Evaluation and Grades:
Participation: 40%
Field Practical: 20%
Web Design: 20% Museum Project: 20%
Participation: Students must actively participate as responsible, self-starting members of a research team. This means being on the site every day, doing lab work, going on field trips, attending lectures, taking part in discussions, doing independent reading, and completing camp chores. The camp will have a small reference collection of books and papers relevant to the course and to research projects. These will be available on-line through eCommons as will lectures, powerpoints, and data related to the project and discussed during class. Students are expected to use these materials to follow up on topics raised in lectures and discussions.
Field Practical: This will evaluate your ability to carry out field procedures, such as laying out a grid square, field identification of artifacts, EDM setup, and other field procedures.
Web Design: Under the supervision of instructors, student participants will collectively design and contribute to the field school’s web page and interactive on-line resources. As the basis of this, each student will be responsible for a specific area of analysis, including artifact analysis, survey strategies, architectural analysis, community participation, and GIS mapping, etc. Students will develop a webpage, reflecting their work and establishing an on-line presence that reflects excavation finds, camp activities, and video diaries from students, staff, and volunteers. Since there will be a wireless connection at the Mission, students will use laptops, GPS, digital wireless cameras, Tablet PCs, and PDAs for remote data collection and analysis, materials that can be uploaded to our web page on a daily and weekly basis. This creates a visible and public face to our research in which people worldwide can effectively participate in archaeology.
Museum Group Project: Groups of 3-5 students will develop a small museum display related to the research and excavations conducted during the field course. Groups will need to think through what materials to display, how to display them, as well as the corresponding text.
Camp Life and Logistics
Field Research is divided into three components through the summer- an introduction to the site and excavation methodology (Week 1); field excavation and community outreach (Weeks 2-5); lab analysis and project development (Weeks 2-5). Students will be rotated through different field jobs throughout the week including posthole testing, test-pit excavation, and lab analysis. Students will remain in each assigned position for 2-3 days at a time. Field excavation will require residence at the site Monday through Friday. While we will not excavate on Fridays, the day is designated for field trips and community outreach. The field camp is located at the Mission itself which includes dormitories with cots, shower and kitchen facilities. As space is limited, personal vehicles are allowed with prior permission. All field school participants must be prepared to stay for the full five-weeks of excavation. I expect that it will be hot and dry but be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. You do not need to not bring any cooking equipment. All food and eating materials will be provided unless you wish to eat or drink something special. The project will not purchase candy, soda pop, beer, or caviar. If you require any of this kind of nourishment you must bring it in your personal gear. All archaeological excavation gear will be provided. Try and limit the amount of your personal gear to a volume that fits into a large duffle bag, a backpack or suitcase, and a daypack.
Listed are some required (r) and suggested gear: marshal town trowel (r), line level (r), hiking boots (light-duty) (r), sandals/slippers, socks, leather gloves, water bottle or canteen (r), shorts, long pants (r), short- and long-sleeved, shirts, hat (r), reading materials, camera, binoculars, sunglasses, sun block (r), personal medication, personal hygiene needs, money, light sweater/jacket, small flashlight/batteries (r), insect spray/lotion.
Summer Schedule
Week 1—Introduction to Field Method and Theory
Monday- Site tour; introduction to survey, excavation, and laboratory methodology.
Tuesday-Thursday- Excavation and Survey
Friday- Field Trip to Painted Cave
Evening Lectures- Colonial Period California and Overview of San Antonio Mission
Required Readings: Lightfoot- Chpts. 1-3; Course Reader- Chpts. 1-3
Week 2—Ethics and Public Archaeology
Monday- Thursday- Excavation and Survey; Lab Rotation Begins
Friday- Field Trip to San Miguel Mission Site
Evening Lectures- Archaeological Ethics, Community Development & Public Access
Required Readings: Course Reader- Chpt. 4; eCommons- Pink 2007, Hamilakis et al. 2009.
Week 3—HistoricalArchaeology and Colonialism in California
Monday- Thursday- Excavation and Survey; Lab Rotation Begins
Friday- Field Trip to Salinan Pueblo
Evening Lectures- Overview of colonial period archaeology and questions of acculturation.
Readings: eCommons- Hoover 1992, Skowronek 1998; Lightfoot- Chpts. 8-9.
Week 4—Current Theoretical Models
Monday- Thursday- Excavation and Survey; Lab Rotation
Friday- Public Archaeology Day
Evening Lectures- Overview of Historical Archaeology Theory and Spanish Missionization
Readings: eCommons- Silliman 2005, Voss 2008; Lightfoot- Chpts. 4, 7.
Week 5—Excavation Wrap-up and Research Project Presentations
Monday- Friday- Wrap up excavations, back-fill, lab clean-up
Evening Lectures- Web & Group Projects Presented