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Hispanic American Historical Review 84.1 (2004) 135-136



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Archaeology at La Isabela: America's First European Town. by Kathleen Deagan and José María Cruxent. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2002. Photographs. Illustrations. Maps. Tables. Appendixes. Bibliography. Index. xxxi, 377 pp. Cloth, $60.00.

Archaeology at La Isabela is aimed specifically at the archaeological community. General readers interested in learning what happened at Spain's first New World colonial venture should consider the authors' companion book, Columbus's Outpost among the Tainos: Spain and America at La Isabela, 1493-1498 (Yale Univ. Press, 2002). In Archaeology, the authors fulfill their professional obligation to provide the raw data upon which their interpretations are based, thus both allowing archaeologists access to these data and giving the general public insights into the archaeological process. Fortunately, the average reader doesn't actually have to wade through all the raw data recovered from the site, as there are numerous summary tables throughout the text. However, all the data are available in seven appendixes at the end of the book.

The authors present the historical and physical background of the site in the first three chapters. They concisely chronicle Columbus's efforts to establish La Isabela in the first chapter. The second chapter is a bit more controversial. Though entitled "The Taínos at La Isabela," the authors note that recent research suggests that "other contemporary groups coexisted with the Taínos, including those known as Macoríx. . . and Ciguayos" (p. 16). Archaeological research concerning these groups is evolving, and the authors provide copious references for further reading. By correcting historical misconceptions concerning the environment in which the town was established, the third chapter shows that La Isabela's location may not have been as ill conceived as previously thought. Chapters 4 through 10 discuss the method of excavation and what was found. These chapters will impress the reader with the difficulties of wringing information out of a heavily disturbed site and expose the lack of timely reporting that characterizes some of the associated endeavors at the site. The final chapter summarizes the archaeology and places the interpretations in the larger context of Spain's colonial strategy in the New World. [End Page 135]

Deagan and Cruxent have assembled an exemplary archaeological site report. This is especially remarkable given the multiple excavators and institutions involved in the various archaeological investigations, the dual directorship of the final project, and the fact that the coauthors collaborated between two different continents. The result can be used as a textbook for how to produce a solid archaeological report. The book is well organized and written, the illustrations are clear and legible, and the interpretations are balanced and do not extrapolate too far from the data. The authors set out to provide the reader with the technical basis for their interpretations and accomplished their goal without turning the volume into a turgid, jargon-ridden tome.

The quibbles I had with the volume are few, and they probably could be filed under "necessary evils." The constant reference to Columbus's Outpost gets to be annoying, but the authors did warn the reader that they would be cross-referencing the text. The nonarchaeologist reader may find the dual (duel?) nature of the archaeological techniques employed at the site, especially in data recording, somewhat confusing. The kinds of accommodations that were made to integrate previous work at the site are inevitable in codirected, multiyear projects. The authors conclude with a testament to the value of multidisciplinary research. The synthesis of historical and archaeological data permit a stereoscopic view of the past, without which "the full dimensions of life in the past cannot be seen until the images produced by written, material, and iconographic accounts are superimposed and articulated at the correct angles" (p. 296). Archaeology at La Isabela makes a strong case for this approach to the past.



Charles R. Ewen
East Carolina University

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