Cultural crossroads and other complexities: Examining creolization at Nuestra Senora del Rosario de la Punta, St. Augustine, Florida.

摘要

Nuestra Senora del Rosario de la Punta (La Punta) represents one of six settlements occupied by native populations (most of whom were Christianized) surrounding St. Augustine during the second quarter of the 18th century. La Punta developed as an 18th century refugee mission community settled primarily by the Yamasee. The mission community provides an ideal point of reference for creolization studies due to the fluid, transient nature of the population. Rather than providing a narrative limited to cultural mixture, as with assimilation, acculturation, and hybridity models, a creolization framework enables the examination of a complex cultural phenomenon in which cultural interfaces may result in the restructuring of a population. Two archaeological sites that pertain to the mission---133 Marine Street and 161 Marine Street---are considered in order to assess creolization at La Punta. In order to determine the extent of creolization within La Punta, three lines of archaeological evidence are discussed: ceramics, architecture, and foodways. The results, though preliminary, suggest manifestations of creolization, as determined by material culture, within the 18th century mission community of Nuestra Senora del Rosario de la Punta.