Abstract
An analysis of architectural remains reveals changes in both construction practice and the organization of labor during the occupation of Fort San Juan de Joara, located at the Berry site in present-day North Carolina. This fort and its associated domestic area, referred to as the Spanish compound, were established in December 1566 by Captain Juan Pardo and constitute the earliest European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States. Excavations in Structures 1 and 5, built at different times in the compound’s 18-month occupation, recovered well-preserved remains of wooden construction elements, with some displaying evidence of cutting and preparation with metal tools. Focusing on wood selection and wood preparation, we show that construction labor through the early phase of the Spanish occupation was divided between settler and indigenous host communities; later, however, as relations between these groups deteriorated, so did indigenous participation in Spanish construction projects.
Extracto
Un análisis de los restos arqueológicos revela cambios tanto en la práctica de la construcción como en la organización de la mano de obra durante la ocupación del Fuerte San Juan de Joara, situado en el emplazamiento de Berry en la actual Carolina del Norte. Este fuerte y su área doméstica asociada, a la que se hace referencia como el recinto español, fueron establecidos en diciembre de 1566 por el Capitán Juan Pardo y constituyen el asentamiento europeo más antiguo en el interior de lo que ahora son los Estados Unidos. Las excavaciones en las Estructuras 1 y 5, construidas en momentos diferentes de la ocupación de 18 meses del recinto, recuperaron restos bien conservados de elementos de construcción de madera, en los que algunos muestran evidencias de corte y preparación con herramientas de hierro. Centrándonos en la selección de la madera y su preparación, mostramos que la mano de obra de construcción a lo largo de la primera fase de la ocupación española estaba dividida entre las comunidades de colonos y las de acogida indígenas; posteriormente, sin embargo, a medida que las relaciones entre estos grupos se deterioraron, igualmente lo hizo la participación indígena en los proyectos de construcción españoles.
Résumé
Une analyse des vestiges architecturaux révèle des changements dans les pratiques de construction et l’organisation du travail au cours de l’occupation du Fort San Juan de Joara, situé sur le site de Berry dans l’actuelle Caroline du Nord. Ce fort et sa zone interne, désignés par l’enceinte espagnole, ont été créés en décembre 1566 par le capitaine Juan Pardo et constituent la première colonie européenne à l’intérieur de ce qui est maintenant les États-Unis. Les fouilles dans les structures 1 et 5, construites à différentes époques de l’occupation de 18 mois de cette enceinte, ont récupéré des vestiges bien préservés d’éléments de construction en bois, avec des indices montrant la coupe et la préparation avec des outils métalliques. En nous intéressant tout particulièrement à la sélection et à la préparation du bois, nous montrons que ce travail de construction pendant toute la phase initiale de l’occupation espagnole fut réparti entre les colons et les communautés hôtes indigènes. Plus tard, cependant, avec la détérioration des relations entre ces groupes, les autochtones ont participé également aux projets de constructions espagnoles.
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Acknowledgments:
Funding for excavations and analyses on the Berry site Spanish compound has been provided by the National Science Foundation (BCS-0542120); the National Geographic Society Committee on Research and Exploration; a National Park Service Certified Local Governments Grant to the City of Morganton, administered by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Department of Cultural Resources; the Burke County Historical Society; the Historic Burke Foundation; and the Woodbury Foundation. The School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, hosted several of our project members for a 2009 Research Team Short Seminar, an opportunity that contributed greatly to our collective understanding of the Spanish compound. Throughout our project, Warren Wilson College has served as our administrative host institution and supported the archaeology work crew and laboratory; we would specifically like to thank Abra Johgart for all of her work as laboratory assistant for the archaeology crew. We thank the editor, Chris Matthews, the associate editor Paul Mullins, and the anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions that significantly improved the article. Finally, we would like to thank the Berry family for their continued stewardship of the Berry site.
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Beck, R.A., Newsom, L.A., Rodning, C.B. et al. Spaces of Entanglement: Labor and Construction Practice at Fort San Juan de Joara. Hist Arch 51, 167–193 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-017-0022-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-017-0022-6