Archaeological Testing at Goliad State Park, Goliad County, Texas

In December 1996, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio entered into a contract with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to conduct archaeological investigations at Mission Espiritu Santo in Goliad State Park. On December 17, 1996, a seven-member field crew from CAR excavated 32 shovel tests along the proposed trench for replacement of existing park water and electrical lines between the mission compound and the camping area. Artifacts recovered from the shovel tests include Spanish colonial ceramics, glass, metal, stone tools and debitage, and a large quantity of animal bone. Most of the artifacts were recovered from the shovel test pits near the mission wall. Any new trenching in this area would disturb possible intact Colonial deposits. Very few artifacts were recovered from the remainder of the proposed trench line

Fire-cracked Rock Use and Reuse in the Hueco Bolson, Fort Bliss, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an analysis of 29,058 pieces of fire-cracked rock and burned caliche selected from a sample of hundreds of features tested as part of the Hueco Mountain Archaeological Project at Fort Bliss, Texas. Feature and non-feature material included in this analysis were collected from site FB 13237 located on the proximal fan, FB 12719 within the basin area, and FB 12412 situated in the transitional zone between the two. The goal of the analysis was to identify patterns of attribute variability in burned rock that could be used to infer function of the various features and sites in the sample. Specific burned rock attributes used in the study were material type, size, weight, and the presence or absence of fracturing, cortex, and discoloration. These attributes were recorded and compared in various combinations at course- and fme-grained levels of intensity to address issues of reuse, recycling, feature function, thermally induced morphological variability, and how these variables might relate to specific land forms through time. Through these comparisons, patterns relating to expedient material selection, feature type, reuse and feature function were identified

Archeological Testing Associated with theStabilization of the Convento at Mission San Juan Capistrano (41BX5), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In January and April, 2005, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted test excavations at Mission San Juan Capistrano (41BX5) for the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park of the National Park Service. The site is located approximately eight miles south of downtown San Antonio on the left bank of the San Antonio River. The purpose of the excavations was to provide information on the nature and content of the subsurface deposits in preparation for a major stabilization campaign around the convento at Mission San Juan that will result in the installation of an impermeable barrier around the structure. Concrete footers will also be installed under each buttress, if necessary. Six 1-x-1-meter units were excavated around the convento and Rooms 19 and 21. Excavations conducted by CAR revealed disturbed deposits on the west side of the convento. A cut-stone step feature was encountered on the southeast side of the convento, along with a footer that was exposed near the northeast corner of the building. Excavations also revealed the original sandstone foundation of San Juan Capistrano on the south side of Room 21. These investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Committee permit no. 3655 with Dr. Steve A. Tomka, CAR Director, serving as Principal Investigator. All cultural materials recovered and project-related documents are permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research

Archeological Investigations at Mission Espíritu Santo (41GD1), Goliad County, Texas

Excavations were carried out at Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zuñiga (41GD1) in November of 2004 and February of 2005 by the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio under contract with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The work was conducted in advance of the planned construction of a French drain system. Shovel tests, 1-x-1-meter test units, and controlled backhoe trenches were used to explore areas that would be impacted by the proposed drainage system along the northern walls of the chapel and museum (granary) and across the center of the courtyard. Based on the findings of the shovel tests, test units, and trenching, three areas with significant deposits were identified. The first area is associated with a probable midden deposit located in the northwest section of the mission, the second is located along the northern wall of the granary (museum), adjacent to the priest’s quarters, while the third consists of two colonial-period features located west of the presentday workshop. Although at the start of the fieldwork it was assumed that no intact cultural deposits survived within the courtyard of the mission, the excavations revealed that selected areas do retain intact colonial-age deposits with significant research potential. These areas should be more fully delimited and explored as future opportunities for their investigations arise. The fieldwork was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3593 with Antonia Figueroa and Jennifer Thompson serving as co-Principal Investigators. All artifacts collected were processed in the Center for Archaeological Research laboratory and transferred to Texas Parks and Wildlife for permanent curation