Silent Witness to Texas: Archeology and Artifacts of Goliad's Presidio La Bahía (review)

As a historical archeologist, this book on the most significant archeological investigations that have ever occurred at the Presidio La Bahía is just the kind of reading I enjoy most, and I am hopeful historians will put aside any aversions that they might have toward archeological reports and give this one a look. The Roland Beard archeological excavations of the site performed in association with the 1963-67 reconstruction of the presidio left behind an excellent collection of artifacts and well-organized and comprehensive field notes, but no interpretive report on the findings. Beyond the reconstruction effort itself, little has been known about the archeological evidence, and most archeologists and a few historians have been waiting and wondering whether anyone would ever take on the task of analyzing the data and publishing those findings. In 2006 Anne Fox volunteered to take on this task and the result is, I think, what everyone hoped for. The authors make no claims that they attempted any original archival or documentary research, but they have successfully presented a thorough overview of the archival research that has been previously published about the Presidio La Bahía and the closely related history of the time in question.

The archeological deposits at the presidio have been considerably disturbed over the last 250 years, so any archeological findings from this site would be difficult to decipher under any conditions, and on top of that, the 1960s archeological investigations and the associated reconstruction of the presidio was focused primarily on the 1820s-40s Texas Revolution and Texas Republic periods at the presidio. Therefore, the artifacts from that period and after were collected, but earlier periods at the presidio were not generally collected nor were those foundation wall and structural features exposed or examined. Consequently, Silent Witnessto Texas has similar limitations in what can be said about the site and its occupation prior to those years, but they have bled an amazing amount of data from the stone they were given.

Archeologists are all about material culture, as this publication demonstrates. In this case, the authors have approached the 12,000 artifacts from the Presidio La Bahía collection as parts of both a domestic and military assemblage of artifacts that tell the story of Mexican and Texian soldiers and officers who rebuilt and fortified a 100 year old presidio a couple of times over a period of more than decades. The distribution and use of utilitarian objects such as forks and spoons, crockery, glassware, ceramic bowls and plates, buttons, and other domestic objects gives us insights into daily activities of soldiers that cannot be obtained from most historical narratives. The military objects can also provide tangible verifications of the accuracy of the historical record, and can provide unique perspectives not found in the historical record. As the authors stated, "A basic timeline of the noteworthy events in the structural history of Presidio La Bahía can be pieced together, based on written history and Beard's excavation notes." But, the "written history does not describe all of the activities that occurred, all of the people who occupied the place, or all of the specific events that affected the archeology and architecture of the presidio site, particularly for the years after the Texas Revolution."

Events of the more recent past affect our interpretations of more distant events, and the more data we have to decipher what actually happened the better understanding of history we will have. I think this book will help many people consider that perspective.