Home > Research Projects and Centers > Center for Regional Heritage Research > Index of Texas Archaeology > Vol.
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Center for Archaeological Research
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21112/ita.2000.1.4
Abstract
In July 1996, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted shovel testing and backhoe trenching operations along the western edge of San Pedro Park, near downtown San Antonio, Texas. The purpose of the testing was to detennine the exact location at which the Alazan acequia would be impacted by a planned drainage improvement project under North Flores Street, and to then assess the likelihood that the project would significantly impact buried cultural material. Using old maps as guides, the acequia was located approximately 55 m south of Ashby Street. It was unlined, and cut 90 cm into bedrock, with its bottom 295 cm below the modem ground surface. Although no cultural materials were found in the acequia, a series of shovel tests produced 1085 artifacts, both Prehistoric and Historic. Due to the depth of previously disturbed sediments under North Flores Street, CAR detennined it was unlikely that significant archaeological deposits would be encountered, and recommended that the project be allowed to proceed as planned. However, the results of the shovel testing indicated that there were previously undisturbed areas along the western edge of the park that were likely to contain intact buried cultural deposits. Based on these results, CAR recommended that any planned construction within the park be preceded by an archaeological testing program to further assess the nature and potential significance of those deposits.
Following the 1996 testing project, one of the subcontractors for the drainage improvement project used the southwest comer of San Pedro Park as a staging area for construction. CAR returned to this southwest comer of in April 1998 to conduct further shovel testing, along with 1-x-1 m unit excavations, to detennine the extent to which any buried archaeological deposits had been impacted by the heavy machinery and stockpiles of gravel, sand, and other construction materials stored in the park. An analysis ofthe artifact assemblage, along with finite comparisons of the topography before and after the construction staging area was used, indicate that the area was impacted by the construction company.
A detailed set of recommendations for management of the cultural resources of San Pedro Park is included in the final chapter of this document.
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