Santa Clara University

SMITHSONIAN PROGRAM

The Project

In December of 1999 a partnership was established between the Smithsonian Institution and Anthropology at SCU to support a major anthropological research project on Spanish and Mexican era California. The goal of the study was to use ceramics to learn about the people who lived in and around the California Missions. Where were "Mission" ceramics being made? Who made these ceramics? How were they made? How were they being distributed and how did that distribution fit within the larger economic system of the Spanish colonial world? 

Methods

Heading the project are Dr. Russell K. Skowronek of Santa Clara University and Dr. Ronald L. Bishop and Dr. M. James Blackman of the Smithsonian Institution. Over the past five years they have collected some 2,000 ceramic samples dating from ca. 1790‑1840 across California. The majority have been studied using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). This work has been conducted in the nuclear reactor housed at the National Institute for Standards and Technology at Gaithersburg, Maryland. 

The second part of the project is considering the techniques used to produce the ceramics. In 2004 a master potter, Mr. Ruben Reyes, and a neophyte potter, Ms. Kelly Greenwalt, joined the project. The archaeologically‑recovered and analyzed sherds were radiographed (x‑rayed) to determine production technique (e.g., wheel‑made, coiled, slab‑built, pinched, paddle and anvil). Local clay beds were identified and mined, and the clay was prepared. Then, replicas of identifiable forms were made using the identified techniques.

Results

The data produced as a result of these analyses indicates that the production of plain undecorated ceramics was wide‑spread in the region. Also revealed through these analyses is evidence that more sophisticated techniques that resulted in glazed ceramics was practiced at five different locations in California. INAA demonstrated long‑distance supply of the region as the revealed compositional "signatures" of the ceramics did not match those known in California. Interestingly, one of the identified compositional groups was found throughout the region but there were several others that were spatially limited in their distribution. This, of course, suggests that there were consignments of imports being delivered and then locally consumed.

Research on the production techniques has shown that wheel and anvil‑made ceramics predominated in California. The manufacture of replica pieces provides other researchers and the general public with a clearer picture of the sophistication of the Indian and Mexican potters abilities.

Sharing the Findings With the Public

The understanding of ceramic production, supply and exchange answers not only questions of interest to anthropologists and historians but it can also provide students and members of the public with insights into the interplay of the sciences and the humanities in the answering of questions. When the project was started we envisioned not simply penning reports and returning collections, but also providing permanent exhibits to each participating institution. These exhibits would be comprised of text, photos, artifacts, and replicas. It would detail the questions asked, the methods used, and the findings made. While each would be similar in layout they would differ based on the discoveries associated with each site.

There will be twenty‑three exhibits at the following locations: 1. San Francisco Presidio, 2. San Francisco Mission, 3. San Jose Pueblo (Peralta Adobe), 4. San Jose Mission, 5. Santa Clara Mission, 6. Santa Cruz Mission, 7. Monterey Presidio, 8. Carmel Mission, 9. San Juan Bautista Mission, 10. Soledad Mission, 11. San Antonio Mission, 12. San Miguel Mission, 13. San Luis Obispo Mission, 14. Santa Ines Mission, 15. La Purisima Mission, 16. San Buenaventura Mission, 17. Santa Barbara Mission, 18. Santa Barbara Presidio, 19. San Juan Capistrano Mission, 20. San Luis Rey Mission, 21. San Diego Mission, 22. San Diego Presidio, 23. Fort Guijarros.

The results have also been presented at professional conferences and currently in preparation for publication. Contact Dr. Skowronek for further information