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Revisiting Criollas: Recent Findings from Casa Blanca Archaeological Contexts, San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Abstract

During the Casa Blanca archaeological project, a large collection of significant artifacts was recovered. The assemblage included an important component of criolla ceramics. Archaeological evidence demonstrated that manufacture and use of this unique ceramic type extended throughout most historical phases of Casa Blanca from its construction in 1521 to the late nineteenth century. Evidence also seems to indicate that most of these ceramics were used specifically for food preparation and cooking, showing traces of fire on both internal and external walls. These handmade ceramics are characterized by coiling techniques with medium to very coarse grit tempers. Having recovered this ceramic type from a building continuously occupied for 490 years has provided the unique opportunity to report these findings and broaden the perspectives of similar types for other areas of Puerto Rico as well as the rest of the Caribbean.

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  1. San Juan, Puerto Rico

    Jorge A. Rodríguez López, Juan M. Rivera Groennou & Juan A. Rivera Fontán

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  1. Jorge A. Rodríguez López
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Rodríguez López, J.A., Rivera Groennou, J.M. & Rivera Fontán, J.A. Revisiting Criollas: Recent Findings from Casa Blanca Archaeological Contexts, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Int J Histor Archaeol 27, 714–754 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-022-00673-4

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