Troweling away at a unit, it’s easy for the JMU students to forget what they’re doing is, in many ways, nothing new. They are learning to transfer critical reading skills from their undergraduate experience to the archaeological record. They are “close reading” the soil, so to say.
A week of critically reading the dirt, however, calls for fresh perspectives. Every weekend the field school leaves camp in search of new ways to enrich their readings of the site, its soil, and its artifacts – the very world of Capachequi itself.
A week of critically reading the dirt, however, calls for fresh perspectives. Every weekend the field school leaves camp in search of new ways to enrich their readings of the site, its soil, and its artifacts – the very world of Capachequi itself.
After the second week in the field, the students make an archaeological pilgrimage. The first stop is the Governor Martin Archaeological Site at Tallahassee. In 1500 this site was known as Anhaica, the principal town of Apalachee Indians. It is near certain Hernando de Soto and his force spent the winter of 1539 to 1540 at this location – their first long-term encampment in North America. At Anhaica the Spaniards were kept under “constant military pressure” by the Apalachees, who “effectively confined the Spaniards to their camp for the entire winter” (Hudson 138, 142).[1] This kind of resistance is emblematic of the time De Soto and his force spent in America. Indians fought them fiercely at one moment, and diplomatically played them the next.
The JMU field school then travels to Mission San Luis, a mission settlement occupied during the 17th century. A century prior to the mission the Spaniards and Apalachees were enemies. One hundred years later they existed in a state of religious compromise at mission sites such as San Luis, where Spanish Catholicism and local religion intermingled. Regardless of how such a relationship came to be, what becomes clear to the students is that society changes radically in only a century.
The last stop of the day is the Lake Jackson Mounds. These impressive earthen structures were a center of the region’s Mississippian culture, and were associated with limestone tempered pottery. The JMU field school has also perhaps found such pottery at its site. This might suggest a relationship between Capachequi and Lake Jackson. If the students are discovering pottery with limestone particles added to it, then this suggests a large scale for Capachequi’s political relationships and its networks of trade.[2]
The students return to camp. They have a story swimming in their heads. In this region there were once massive and thriving chiefdoms engaged in complex relationships with one another. These communities later fought to maintain their independence from the Spaniards. Sadly, they lost the fight, and were forced to compromise their freedom. The students are ready to return to the field, hoping to understand how Capachequi fits into this tragic and important story.
-Allen Luethke and Kelly Teboe
-Allen Luethke and Kelly Teboe
[1] Hudson, Charles. Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun: Hernando de Soto and the South’s Ancient Chiefdoms. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1997. Print.
[2] Blitz, John, and Karl Lorenz. The Chattahoochee Chiefdoms. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2006. Print.
[2] Blitz, John, and Karl Lorenz. The Chattahoochee Chiefdoms. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2006. Print.