BIO

I am a sophomore currently pursuing a degree in anthropology. I hope to graduate and pursue a master's in archaeology and eventually a doctorate in archaeology. My focus is primarily on underwater archeological sites and I have extensive training in scientific diving.

A Comparative Analysis of the Glass Beads from the Bryan Site (8LE6256)

Abstract

Throughout the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain began to colonize the New World. During that time they established several Spanish missions in La Florida. Through these colonization efforts, there was a diffusion of ideas and material culture. The relationship between native people and missionaries was not always peaceful and led to the abandonment of the Spanish missions in the early 18th century. One of these mission sites which has been thought to be lost is Mission San Antonio de Bacuqua. A site in Tallahassee was recently identified and thought to be the lost mission site of San Antonio de Bacuqua. Through the excavation of this site in 2022 by Dr. Tanya Peres there were a number of artifacts recovered that can help in dating and identifying the site. One of these artifacts is a number of glass beads recovered. Glass beads were an important trade good for Spanish colonists. They were often produced in Venice, Italy in mass quantities and brought by the colonists as trade goods. These beads follow a predictable chronology and are often used to date Spanish mission sites. Through comparison of other bead assemblages recovered in excavations of Mission San Luis and Mission Santa Catalina de Guale, which are confirmed Spanish mission sites. We can confirm that this site not only contains trade goods found at Spanish mission sites of that period, but we can also further justify the claim that this is the lost site of Mission San Bacuqua.

Keywords: archaeology, beads, spanish mission