Center for Archaeological Research
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/560
The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) was established in 1974 to conduct archaeological research throughout Texas and the surrounding regions; carry out archaeological surveys and excavations for federal, state, and local agencies as required by legislation and executive order; provide public and private sector assistance and guidance regarding cultural resource management; provide students training opportunities in archaeological field and laboratory methods and technical writing; and disseminate to the general public information about the prehistory and history of Texas and San Antonio.
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Browsing Center for Archaeological Research by Subject "Acequia Madre"
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Item 10th Street substation excavation of the Acequia Madre (41 BX 8), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas(Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1985) Cox, I. WaynneThe acequias or irrigation systems were an important factor in the early history of San Antonio. One of the earliest of these was the Acequia Madre (41 BX 8) or Mother Ditch. Recently, proposed construction by City Public Service at the 10th Street Substation was expected to encounter the course of the acequia, thus requiring archaeological investigation. Excavation of a section of the acequia with a backhoe and archival research revealed new information about the history of this ancient waterway.Item Archaeological Monitoring of the Acequia Madre de Valero at the Proposed Civic Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas(Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2018) Thomas, Andrea; McKenzie, Clinton M. M.; Zapata, José E.From August through September 2017, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological monitoring of excavations at the previous site of the western wing of the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The 3.03-hectare (7.5-acre) project area is the site of the proposed Civic Park and other new developments. Previous archaeological investigations completed by Raba Kistner Environmental in 2016, uncovered a 40-m (131.23-ft.) long segment of the Acequia Madre de Valero (41BX8). The City of San Antonio (COSA) contracted CAR to monitor any below ground excavations in the project area and to monitor mitigation work on the acequia. Because the property is owned by the COSA, compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas was required. As such, the State Antiquities Code and Chapter 35 of the San Antonio Unified Development Code governed the excavations and required coordination with the COSA Office of Historic Preservation and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) Archaeology Division. CAR conducted the work under Texas Antiquities Commission Permit No. 8141. Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux served as the Principal Investigator, and Andrea Thomas served as the Project Archaeologist, assisted by Antonia Figueroa. Principal activities during the project included monitoring the mechanical excavation of an underground vault for storm drain connections and the mechanical exposure of and mitigation of the Acequia Madre de Valero. No cultural materials or features were revealed during the excavation of the vault. Historic artifacts were documented in the acequia fill, and a representative sample was collected to date when the acequia was last in use. The artifacts manufacture dates ranged from 1850 to 1920. Because the acequia (41BX8) was previously determined as eligible to the National Register of Historic Places, CAR recommends that future excavations in the property area be subject to archaeological monitoring and archaeological sites should be avoided and protected from construction impacts. All associated records and diagnostic artifacts are curated at the CAR in accordance with Federal Regulations 36 CFR Part 79 and THC requirements for State Held-in-Trust collections.Item Historical and archaeological research of the Hampton Inn property in downtown San Antonio(Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1997) Renner, MarcieThe Center for Archaeological Research of the University of Tecas at San Antonio conducted a three-phase investigation of property belonging to Hampton Inns, Inc., in downtown San Antonio, Texas. The first phase, a study of archival records and previous investigations, undertaken in 1990, showed that portions of the Alamo Acequia Madre ran through the property. During Phase II, in 1990, CAR placed five backhoe trenches to assess the remains of the acequia. These investigations showed the acequia to have been disturbed by earlier installation of a storm drain. CAR archaeologists monitored construction activities during Phase III in early 1995. Although small portions of two strustures were revealed, no associated artifacts were found. Sixteen artifacts dating from the late-nineteenth- to early twentieth-centuries were recovered near the acequia. These probably represent a trash deposit of some kind. A portion of the acequia has been reconstructed in the courtyard, and the recovered artifacts are on display in the hotel.