Excavations
began at the San Agustin Mission site on November 20, 2000, and
concluded in Feburary of 2001. The mission site, although heavily
disturbed, is still providing important evidence about Tucson's
Origins. In April of 2007, archaeologists have returned to the mission site in preparation for the construction of the Tucson Origins Heritage Park.
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Prior to the beginning of fieldwork at the site, only a few rocks
from the west compound wall were visible.
You can move your mouse over this image to reveal the wall foundation below the modern ground surface. |
These stones represent the foundation of an adobe brick wall wall that once surrounded the mission. These foundation stones or "footers" provided a platform for the adobe bricks to be stacked upon, keeping the adobe bricks above ground level. Excavations have revealed
that the stone foundation of the wall survives for at least 30
meters (92 ft) along the east side of Brickyard Lane.
Backhoe stripping has also uncovered the foundation of the granary,
used to store crops during the occupation of the mission. The
granary is about 18 meters long and 9 meters wide. Because of
the width of the structure, and the lack of long timbers, a series
of pillars ran down the center of the building. These pillars
helped support ceiling timbers, each perhaps 4.5 meters long.
Unfortunately, it was discovered that the majority of the mission
area was destroyed in the 1950s during clay mining and landfilling
activities. Red lines on the above map represent backhoe trenches revealing modern garbage, sometimes to a depth of 4.5 meters (20 feet).
Attempts to find the chapel and convento were thwarted
by the depth of disturbed areas- it appears that the remains of
these structures were bulldozed between 1956 and 1960. South of
Mission Lane a 50 to 60 ft wide band of undisturbed soil remains.
Excavation of test units and limited backhoe scraping have exposed
a Hohokam pithouse, a fragmentary structure foundation- perhaps
from the Carrillo House, a probable acequia (canal), and a pit
filled with trash discarded by Chinese farmers who lived in the
area between 1880 and 1900.
A rusting wok, at least one hundred years old,
provides evidence of Tucson's Chinese Heritage.
Next - continue to Weeks 3 and 4 ....
