The archaeology and history of the Spanish Governor's Palace Park

In the spring of 1976, test excavations were carried out by the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio at the site of a small park to be built immediately north of the Spanish Governor's Palace on Military Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Because of its proximity to one of the original structures built by the Spanish in the early 18th century, testing was deemed necessary to determine if remains of other early structures would be disturbed by the park construction. The testing program was administered by Dr. Thomas R. Hester. Field operations from April 26 through May 2 were directed by Anne A. Fox, Research Associate of the Center, with the help of several technical staff assistants. Standard archaeological testing procedures were used throughout the project, all soil removed from critical 18th century contexts being screened through 1/4-inch mesh. Structural remains and artifacts were fully recorded. All materials recovered were processed through the laboratory at the Center for Archaeological Research. Both before and after the excavations, considerable documentary research was necessary to establish the history of this particular site and its relation to that of the rest of 18th century San Antonio de Bexar. Results of this research are included in this report. When the archaeological team had concluded that park construction would not appreciably damage any significant subsurface historical structures, the contractor proceeded with the work as scheduled.