San Pedro Park Tree Irrigation Monitoring, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

During mid-December 2014, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological monitoring of trenching and air tilling for irrigation facilities in portions of San Pedro Springs Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, for the City of San Antonio (COSA) Parks and Recreation Department. The entire park is a designated State Antiquities Landmark site (41BX19) and a City of San Antonio Landmark, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park, which was established about 1729, is the one of the oldest public parks in the United States. The park is the sight of the first European settlement in San Antonio in 1718 and contains the first acequia, or irrigation ditch, constructed by the Spanish colonist to water their crops. Because of the landmark status and public ownership of the project area, the archaeological work was done under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 7103 and was performed according to applicable provisions of the Antiquities Code of Texas (Title 9, Chapter 191, Texas Natural Resource Code) and the regulations and requirements of the Archeology Division of the Texas Historical Commission (THC). The project was not federally linked; therefore, it was not subject to compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. As specified in a scope of work approved by the THC, the archaeological work performed at this site included monitoring of ground-disturbing activities associated within the archaeologically sensitive areas. This monitoring was conducted by the project archaeologist. Monitoring included photographs and field notes. No temporally diagnostic artifacts were observed. Any other materials were counted and described in the field. No significant archaeological resources, as defined in the scope of work, were found, collected, or curated during this monitoring. Based on these findings and because no additional ground-disturbances were planned, the CAR recommends to the project sponsor and Archeology Division of the THC that no further archaeological investigation of the project area is warranted. However, the lengthy culture history of the park and surrounding vicinity creates a high probability that unexamined ground in the monitored area contains important archaeological resources. Therefore, it is recommended that any future non-archaeological, ground-disturbing activities within or near the San Pedro Springs Park area be archaeologically monitored and/or investigated prior to the commencement of work.