Test Excavations at the Spanish Governor\u27s Palace, San Antonio, Texas

Test excavations were carried out in October 1996 by the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio in front of the Spanish Governor\u27s Palace in Military Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Planned for the retrieval of information on the depth and present condition of the foundations of the building, the excavations also recovered important information on previous occupation of the site and construction methods used when the palace was built

Archaeological Testing and Monitoring in Connection with a Drainage Project at Mission San Juan Capistrano San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

The purpose of this project was to obtain information to guide planning to alleviate drainage problems within the compound of the mission. Four separate areas were tested. Of these, only one uncovered structural remains that might be impacted by the drainage swales planned to carry rain water through the east and south walls and away from the standing structures. At that location, careful measurement of comparative elevations of ground and top of wall revealed that the planned drainage would be possible without damage to the wall. Subsequent drainage work was monitored by the archaeologists to be sure that no other previously unknown structures would be disturbed

Plan for Mitigation of Archaeological Sites San Antonio 201 Watewater Treatment Project

Since December 1976, the Center for Archaeological Research has carried out a succession of archaeological surveys of proposed sewer line routes and sewage treatment plant construction in the San Antonio area (Fox 1977; Fox, McGraw and Valdez 1978). The data recovered, archaeological sites recorded and recommendations for future work have been provided to Radian Corporation for use in preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement. The engineers have published the 201 Wastewater Facility Plan (Pape-Dawson et. al. 1978). It is now appropriate to examine this plan in relation to the archaeological work already completed, in order to assess what must yet be done to conserve archaeological resources wherever possible, and what mitigation will be necessary where sites will be threatened with damage or destruction. After working on this project for two years, some observations can be made about the problems inherent in planning archaeological surveys for a sewage collection system (or for any type of utilities system) for a dynamic municipality such as San Antonio. Unfortunately for our purposes, population growth and real estate development are not entirely predictable in location or extent. Plans made in December are often out of date by January and overrun by May. Therefore, planning and archaeological survey must be flexible and cover as many eventualities as practical and possible. Cooperation and communication between planners, engineers, city personnel and archaeologists must be maintained on a constant basis in order to keep abreast of changes in routing and funding. These changes must of necessity occur frequently to meet current problems and changing priorities

Archaeological Investigations of Portions of the San Pedro and Alazan Acequias in San Antonio, Texas

In the spring of 1977 the Center for Archaeological Research was requested by Ronald Darner, Director of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, to investigate and record sections of the old acequias, or irrigation ditches which were involved in renovation and landscaping projects in city parks. The purpose of this report is to present the information gained in this endeavor ln lasting and usable form for the future benefit of historians and archaeologists working with these unique and interesting structures. Since time and space did not allow an exhaustive discussion of the acequia system of San Antonio, the reader is referred to a number of other works which treat the subject in considerable detail, such as A Brief on the Acequias of San Antonio, compiled by Minor and Steinberg (1968); Holmes’ thesis, The Acequias of San Antonio (1962); and Areson’s article, “Early Irrigation in Texas (1921); as well as the section on acequias in William’s Corner book, San Antonio de Bexar (1890). The only other professional archaeological excavations which have been done in San Antonio acequias were those of the Witte Memorial Museum in two different sections of the Alamo, or Valero, acequia during 1966 (Scheutz 1970) and a brief excavation adjacent to this same acequia within the Alamo grounds by The University of Texas at San Antonio in 1973 (Adams and Hester 1973)

Archaeological Investigation to Locate the Northwest Corner of Mission Concepcion San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

On May 2, 1990, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), The University of Texas at San Antonio, conducted an archaeological investigation to locate the north wall of the compound of Mission Concepcion for the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The purpose of the investigation was to obtain information in order to be able to project the north wall line and the west wall line and locate the original northwest comer which has been eliminated by street and utility construction

Archaeological and Historical Investigations at 41BX180, Walker Ranch, San Antonio, Texas: Phase I

In May 1979, the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, conducted preliminary investigations at site 41BX180, a group of historic limestone ruins located on the Walker Ranch in northern Bexar County, Texas. A history of ownership of Walker Ranch is included. Archaeological investigations of three structures and associated artifacts are described. An appendix discusses the faunal material from the site

Monitoring of Utility Trenches at Mission Concepcion, San Antonio, Texas, 1988

In July 1988, personnel from the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted monitoring of the construction of hand-dug trenches for installation of an air conditioning system in the church of Mission Concepcion. During the trenching for installation of electric lines one wall of the first convento was crossed. A small collection of artifacts taken from the backdirt of the trench is described, and the more unusual ones are illustrated

Archaeological Investigations at The United States Arsenal Site (41BX622), San Antonio, Texas

Test excavations were carried out at two locations on the grounds of the old U.S. Arsenal in downtown San Antonio, Texas, in December 1983. Backhoe trenching at the north end of the site revealed no indication of the location of an acequia lateral suspected to run through the area. Test excavations at the south end of the stone stable building found no indication of the location of a stairway which is presumed to have led to a second story doorway in the wall of the building. Historical research resulted in production of a history of the Arsenal from the time of its founding to the present

Archaeological Investigations in Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, 1988 and 1989

In June of 1988 and 1989, The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an archaeological field school at the northern end of the plaza in front of the Alamo in downtown San Antonio. The Center for Archaeological Research cooperated with the university in organizing and staffing this field school. Excavations were limited to specific areas related to the fortifications around the main entrance to the Alamo constructed in 1835 and demolished and backfilled less than a year afterward. These fortifications consisted of a lunette and related defensive trench around the main gate, a secondary trench parallel to the south wall of the site, and a palisade wall between the church and the barracks building. The trenches were located and mapped and their contents recovered and analyzed. While important information was recovered about the construction of the fortifications, equally important is the collection of artifacts used for fill in the trenches, which represents mission and local inhabitants\u27 depositions in the area from ca. 1750 to 1836

A Survey of Archaeological, Architectural and Historical Sites on the San Antonio River from Olmos Dam to South Alamo Street and on San Pedro Creek from San Pedro Park to Guadalupe Street

In January 1979, the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, was requested by the Fort Worth District United States Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a historical, architectural and archaeological survey of the lands for ¼-mile on either side of the San Antonio River from the Olmos Dam to South Alamo Street, and the San Pedro Creek from San Pedro Park to Guadalupe Street. The purpose of the project is to compile as much information as is now available on the prehistoric and historic sites located within the survey area for use in planning future flood control projects. The survey was carried out under the direction of Dr. Thomas R. Hester, Director of the Center