Archaeological Monitoring of Geotechnical Boring Associated with the Alamo Museum in Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In November 2019, in response to a request from the City of San Antonio (COSA) Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI) Department, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) conducted archaeological monitoring of geotechnical boring associated with the Alamo Museum project adjacent to the Alamo Plaza complex in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The boring samples will be used by Terracon Consultants, Inc. (Terracon) to evaluate the soil bearing pressure, the active soil load, the location of the groundwater table, and the soil characteristics. The archaeological work consisted of monitoring four geotechnical bores that formed the Area of Potential Effect (APE), which covered less than 0.004 hectare (0.01 acre). The project area is located on COSA-owned property. As a public municipal property, undertakings that might affect archaeological or historical sites are subject to regulatory review. At the municipal level, the property falls under COSA's Unified Development Code (Article 6 35-630 to 35-634). The project is also located within the Alamo Plaza Historic District. The project requires review by the Texas Historical Commission (THC), under the Antiquities Code of Texas, and was assigned Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9125. José Zapata was the Project Archaeologist, and Cynthia Munoz served as Principal Investigator. CAR monitoring activities did not locate any cultural material or features. However, the 7.6 cm (3 in.) diameter bores greatly restricted this assessment. Consequently, CAR recommends that any future ground disturbance plans adjacent to the Alamo Plaza include archaeological monitoring and/or testing. The THC concurs with CAR's recommendation that any additional ground disturbances in this area should undergo archeological investigation. All project related material, including the final report, are permanently stored at the CAR facilities in accession file number 2236. Terracon submitted a separate geotechnical report to TCI.