Society Activities

2007 TAS Field School

Map to Field School 2007

June 9–16, 2007
Presidio San Saba, Menard, Texas

Another Great Season
Tamra Walter
2007 TAS Field School Principal Investigator

Dr. Tamra Walter shows off a Spanish bridle artifact.  (photo Curt Harrell)

This year’s TAS Field School at Presidio San Sabá was another great success.  Approximately 500 people participated in this summer’s Field School.  The Field School coincided with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the presidio and the nearby mission of San Sabá.  Presidio San Sabá, which represents the largest Spanish Colonial fort in Texas, was in operation for more than 13 years.  During the Spanish occupation of the fort, numerous changes were made to the structure.  Documenting these changes and understanding the evolution of the forts architecture is a major goal of our research.  Therefore, a primary objective for this year’s excavation was to expose large portions of the fort’s original architecture.  More than 40 units were laid out for excavation in areas of the fort where architecture and layout of the site is poorly understood.

In particular, we focused the majority of our efforts on the southeast bastion of the fort.  In addition we also excavated along portions of the south wall where newly discovered rooms were found during the 2004 TAS excavations, within rooms along the north wall of the fort, and inside the walls within the presidio compound.  Despite documentary evidence that describes the layout and conditions of Presidio San Sabá and the existence of two maps created by Nicolás de LaFora and Joseph de Urrutia during the 1767 military inspection tour of the Spanish frontier, information regarding changes to the fort made after 1767 has not been uncovered in the documentary record.  The presence of rooms along the south walls is not noted on either of the two 1767 maps and the depictions of the southeast bastion vary slightly on the Lafora and Urrutia maps.  Excavations within these areas were therefore especially important.

Curt Harrell goes up, up, up to photograph the southeast bastion area.

Bennett Kimbell, a graduate student at Texas Tech, who is hoping to answer questions regarding the exact configuration of the fortification, directed excavations within the southeast bastion.  More specifically, we are hoping to determine whose depiction of the bastion is more accurate.  A total of eleven 2 x 2 meter units were excavated in the area of the southeast bastion.  In addition, old units (18 in all) from the 2006 Texas Tech field school that were also excavated in this area were re-opened so that the entire bastion could be exposed.  Although preliminary, our results from the work conducted in the bastion suggests that LaFora’s map was the more accurate of the two.  Kimbell will continue to analyze the materials recovered from the area and will present a more detailed report of our findings at the 2007 TAS meetings in San Antonio this fall.

Excavations along the south wall were also productive.  Eleven 2 x 2 meter units were opened up near the east and west ends of the south wall of the fort.  Aaron Norment and Don Badon directed the work in these two areas assisted by former Texas Tech student Matt Carter.  This area is particularly difficult to excavate given the large quantity of rubble and wall fall.  Despite these difficulties, our crews were able to expose some interesting features.  For example, several “cooking” or “heating” features were uncovered within the room areas that may represent the remains of small fires or perhaps chimneys or ovens.  The features consisted of large areas of oxidized soil associated with small burned rocks and chunks of burned adobe/daub.  Additional features also exposed during these excavations included a long, linear adobe feature that may represent a jacale structure.  The material culture recovered from these areas was also exciting and including several large pieces of pottery, Spanish Colonial metal including a section of the bridle bit with the coscojos or jingle bobs still intact, bone, and gunflints.  Overall, the information recovered from the excavations in this area is helping us to understand the changes that were made to the fort after 1767.

A southeast bastion overview photographed from above by Curt Harrell.

Excavations within the interior compound were also conducted and included units placed near the northeastern corner of the fort and the children’s units located near the east wall of the fort just inside the compound.  Past excavations within this area have revealed the presence of a number of features including hearths, trash pits, and concentrations of animal bones.  Excavations opened up in this portion of the site, consisting of three 2 x 2 meter units, were over seen by Texas Tech graduate student Jenni Hatchett.  The Spanish Colonial deposits in these excavations however were shallow and as a result, further excavations were discontinued.  Attention was then focused on the north wall where test units were placed inside a presidio room as well as just outside the walls of this structure.  Cultural materials consistent with a domestic structure were recovered including pottery, fragments of metal from cooking pots, glass shards, and animal bone.  Sections of the room walls were also exposed helping to delineate the size of the structure.  As with other rooms exposed during past investigations, the room is approximately 4 x 5 meters in size.  Excavations outside the room encountered portions of the cobble pavement that surround the exterior of the fort structures.

Additional excavations inside the presidio compound included this year’s children’s units.  More than 60 children participated in the dig this summer.  Our hats are off to Doug Boyd and his crew who oversaw the excavations conducted by our youngest Field School members and managed to stay sane at the same time!  A total of thirteen 2 x 2 meter units were opened up in the kid’s area near the east wall of the fort.  A large portion of a cobblestone pavement was uncovered as well as an adobe alignment that may represent another jacale-type structure.  Artifacts collected from the area included ceramics, lead shot, animal bone, gunflints, and several metal objects including a lead seal with a crest and horse bridle parts.

Finally, this year’s lab crew, overseen by Texas Tech graduate student Lauren Whitman, managed to keep up with the excavators and the large quantities of artifacts and faunal remains they collected.  The vast majority of the material remains recovered from this year’s Field School was washed and sorted.  Also, the lab volunteers were able to label a significant portion of the artifacts.  The unprocessed materials are currently being washed and labeled at the Texas Tech archaeology laboratory.

In summary, the 2007 TAS Field School accomplished another great season of excavations at Presidio San Sabá.  The work conducted this summer is helping to contribute to our growing understanding of the fort’s layout and architecture.  Moreover, the data collected will also be used to help create a more complete picture of presidio life.  I can’t thank our Field School participants enough for all of their hard work this summer.  A more detailed report of our findings will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, I look forward to seeing all of you at this year’s TAS meetings in San Antonio!