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Foodways at a Colonial Military Frontier Outpost in Northern New Spain: The Faunal Assemblage from Presidio San Sabá, 1757–1772

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Abstract

An 18th-century colonial settlement, Presidio San Sabá was the largest and, indeed, the most remote military frontier outpost within the Spanish Borderlands of northern New Spain in Texas. Garrisoned with 100 Spanish soldiers who resided there with their civilian families, the presidio numbered nearly 400 people. Historical records reveal that this resident population lived under adverse conditions, suffering from malnutrition, disease, and chronic shortages of food and other supplies. Analysis of the faunal assemblage recovered during archaeological excavations conducted at the presidio site indicates that the San Sabá people managed to survive by subsisting primarily upon the food products of their livestock herds. Moreover, they secured some additional animal protein for their diet by occasionally trading, fishing, hunting, and collecting locally available natural resources.

Extracto

El Presidio San Sabá, un asentamiento colonial del siglo XVIII, fue el destacamento fronterizo militar más numeroso y, sin duda, remoto dentro de las fronteras españolas del norte de Nueva España, en Texas. En total, con la guarnición de 100 soldados allí destacados y sus respectivas familias, el presidio llegó a albergar a unas 400 personas. Los registros históricos muestran que la población residente vivía en condiciones lamentables: sufría malnutrición, enfermedades y escasez crónica de alimentos y otros suministros. Un análisis de los restos animales recuperados durante las excavaciones arqueológicas llevadas a cabo en el enclave del presidio indica que los residentes de San Sabá sobrevivían alimentándose casi principalmente de productos alimenticios obtenidos de sus rebaños de ganado. Asimismo, lograban incorporar a su dieta fuentes adicionales de proteínas de origen animal practicando, ocasionalmente, actividades como el comercio, la pesca, la caza y la explotación de los recursos naturales localmente disponibles.

Résumé

Le peuplement colonial Presidio Sans Sabà était, au 18e siècle, le poste militaire avancé le plus éloigné des régions frontalières espagnoles de la Nouvelle-Espagne au nord du Texas. Comptant une garnison de 100 soldats espagnols qui y vivaient avec leur famille, le Presidio abritait près de 400 personnes. Des dossiers historiques révèlent que ces résidents vivaient dans des conditions difficiles, souffrant de malnutrition, maladies et pénuries chroniques d’aliments et d’autres biens. L’analyse des spécimens recueillis lors d’un relevé faunique réalisé durant des fouilles archéologiques au site de Presidio démontre que la population de San Sabà a survécu en se nourrissant principalement des produits alimentaires de ses troupeaux de bétails. Qui plus est, elle obtenait d’autres protéines animales en faisant la traite et en recueillant les ressources naturelles à disposition, tout en pêchant et chassant à l’occasion.

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Acknowledgments:

The authors would like to thank the Presidio Restoration Foundation of Menard, as well as the local community, for providing encouragement and logistical support for the archaeological investigation of the presidio. The Texas Archeological Society provided financial support for the faunal analysis. We are also indebted to former Texas Tech graduate student Lauren Whitman, who had the arduous task of organizing and shipping the faunal materials to Florida Atlantic University for further study. Also, we would like to thank former Florida Atlantic University graduate student Rose Gualtieri and former undergraduate students Bradley Stephens and Ryan Jackola for assisting in the zooarchaeological analysis by counting and weighing all the identified faunal materials. Constructive comments and suggestions provided by the three anonymous reviewers substantially strengthened the article and are much appreciated.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, SO 171, Boca Raton, FL, 33431-0991, U.S.A.

    Arlene Fradkin

  2. Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Texas Tech University, PO Box 41012, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1012, U.S.A.

    Tamra L. Walter

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Fradkin, A., Walter, T.L. Foodways at a Colonial Military Frontier Outpost in Northern New Spain: The Faunal Assemblage from Presidio San Sabá, 1757–1772. Hist Arch 52, 397–419 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-018-0112-0

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