Date

2012

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Social, Behavioral & Global Studies

Abstract

The Royal Presidio of Monterey served as the focal institution of military power and government of Alta California from ca. 1770 to 1840 during the Spanish colonial missionization of the indigenous populations. Like the Franciscan missions, the Royal Presidio of Monterey was a multicultural settlement, home to Spanish soldiers, mestizo settlers, and Native Californians. During archaeological monitoring of the Royal Presidio of Monterrey, spanning from 2006 through 2008 which was conducted by Dr. Ruben Mendoza and his field crew of California State University, Monterey Bay students, significant Mission era architectural features were discovered and identified, in addition to the recovery of rich material culture and great quantities of faunal assemblages. Through the investigation of those recovered faunal remains, this capstone project examines the cultural modifications or cutmark patterns produced during butchery practices and consumption patterns and the relationship of such to socio-cultural identities within the Presidio demographic. In addition, butchery patterns can aid in the identification of certain types of cutmarks and tool technologies that created them of which may represent a cultural group, such as distinctions between Native Californians and Spanish colonists. Furthermore, an experimental archaeology component is highlighted in this capstone project which attempted to replicate those modifications on the faunal remains with the intentions of identifying the cutting implements and any socio-cultural indicators that produced said cutmarks. Ultimately, this capstone offers preliminary hypotheses of which further research is necessitated in order to draw more conclusive evidence of socio-cultural markers in the faunal assemblages of the Royal Presidio of Monterey.

Comments

Capstone Project (B.A.) Social and Behavioral Sciences Department

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