Heritage, Volume 16, Number 4, Fall 1998 Page: 7
31 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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ology of
spiritu
uniga
Victoria County, Texas
eology of the Spanish Colonial period.
I Spanish settlements, including mis.d
visitas were established throughout
Much of what is known about these
i1 records and documents. Archaeolrnously
to the knowledge of these sites
e peoples.By Tamra L. Walter
and Thomas R. Hesterish occupants and no useful data on the
formal layout of the Espfritu Santo mission
complex. For example, it was only
during the archaeological investigations
that the stone quarry for the mission was
found, less than a mile south of the present
ruins (designated as site 41VT121). And,
despite statements in the historic records
about the failure of irrigated farming at
the mission, the research at site 41VT13
on Mission Creek, less than a mile south
of the mission, has revealed a stone-built
diversion dam and 1.2 miles of an acequia
leading to the mission fields.
Archaeological investigations completed
at the site from 1995 to 1998 have
provided much insight about the mission
and its residents during its 23 years of
operation. The mission, located on private
property, was formally recognized
with a historical marker during the 1936
Texas Centennial. Standing ruins are
still present and were quite substantial as
late as 1915 based on extant photographs.
However, not until the initial 1995
project were architectural investigations
able to verify that the ruins were of
Spanish Colonial construction. In addition,
limited archaeological excavations
were also completed that year in other
areas around the site, providing new data
on mission Indian material culture
(Walter 1997). Sporadic fieldwork continued
in 1995 and 1996; this included
the excavation of an extensive midden
deposit characterized by large amounts
of animal bone, both domestic and wild
game (Area B).
Major excavations at 41VTll took
place in 1997 and 1998. The Texas Archeological
Society's summer field
schools were held in June of both years in
Mission Valley, and excavations were
geared toward defining the structural layout
of the mission and investigating
areas believed to be the remains of the
mission Indian habitation areas.
Although the entire plan of the mission
complex is still unknown, the architectural
investigations have now identified
a total of five structures.These buildings
were constructed of sandstone cut
from the nearby quarry. A lime kiln (Area
E), discovered near the banks of the
Guadalupe northeast of the ruins, was
probably used to produce the mortar
needed for construction. The structures
are in an L-shaped pattern that appears
to be on the west and north edges of a
plaza or compound. Presumably, the outerwestern walls of the structures would
have formed part of a protective wall for
that portion of the complex. Although
no direct evidence has been found, a
wooden palisade of some sort may have
extended east from the mission structures
to fully enclose the mission compound.The southern end of the largest building,
Structure 1A, is still partially standing.
Its thick walls and sturdy construction
suggest that it may have served as
the mission's granary or part of the
church (Structure 1B) that was uncovered
in 1997. Structure 2, a detached
building that is directly south of Structure
1, was completely uncovered during
the 1997 TAS excavations. The
interior walls are painted with red plaster
and the base of an altar or shrine was
also discovered. The shrine probably
held a cross or religious statue at one
time. It was most likely the friars' living
quarters. Structure 1 extends north from
Structures 1A and 1B, and its northern
wall forms a semicircular pattern or apselike
feature. This structure is believed to
be part of the church. Although Structure
3 is an extension of Structure 1B,
the walls display a lack of symmetry and
rather shoddy construction technique
suggesting that the structure may have
been added later.
A grant from the Texas
Historical Foundation's
Joseph P. Ballard
Archaeology Fund helped
support the work at
Mission Espiritu Santo.
Structures 4 and 5, unlike Structures
1A, IB, 2, and 3, are oriented east-west.
Presumably, the juncture of Structure 4
and Structure 3 form the northwest corner
of the mission compound. Structures
4 and 5 are connected by a shared
wall; it is doubtful, however, that they
were constructed at the same time, as
Structure 5 appears to have been built inThis page: overhead view of Structure 2, during
excavation in 1997, looking east (see map on
page 8).HERITAGE * FALL 1998 7
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 16, Number 4, Fall 1998, periodical, Autumn 1998; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45399/m1/7/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.