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individuals were uncovered. The excavated part of the cemetery had a high density of burials, with intrusive and multiple burials. The excavators also found architectural details such as nails, spikes, a post, and fragments of what may have been a clay floor. The remains of the clay floor and most of the artifacts were found on what had been the ground surface in the 17th century (10 to 15 cm below the present ground surface). Based on the density of graves uncovered in the excavated area, it was then estimated that the cemetery held about 900 burials. The investigators initially proposed the presence of small shelters over family or kin-group graves as an explanation for the artifacts and clay fragments. After the 1990–1991 fieldwork, Hoshower and
Milanich concluded that the cemetery was somewhat smaller, 15 m by 25 m, with 400-500 graves, and may have been under the floor of a later church that replaced the church identified by Weisman just to the south. Individual graves were from 13
33:
40:
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single burial event, or from the graves being marked. One of the individuals in those graves was missing its feet, with the foot bones found in a later burial. Another burial held a 21 to 25 year old female with a 2.5 to 3 year old child in direct contact with the female, and a 4 to 5 year old child next to her. A 30 to 35 year old male was buried with his skull in direct contact with the left
264:(formerly called the "Indian Pond complex") came into focus as the result of studying artifacts recovered from pre-Columbian levels at Fig Springs. Ceramic shards recovered from the South End of the Fig Springs site, where four of the radiocarbon dated charcoal samples were taken, were strongly associated with the Suwannee Valley culture, with almost none representing the earlier
319:
town of the province that became known as San Martín on May 1, 1608. It is unknown whether the church and convento used by Fray Prieto were built after his arrival, or a chapel and house built in 1597 survived, and a larger church was build after his arrival. The mission of San Martín existed until at least the
Timucua Rebellion in 1656.
364:
surrounded by a narrow covered walkway, with an originally unpaved floor later covered with a clay pavement. A second model involves two small churches, one with a paved floor and one without. The church with the paved floor may have partially overlapped the site of the church with an unpaved floor. The third model is an
433:
The northern part of the excavated area held 14 graves, some of which were intrusive on older graves. Six of the burials formed a group, oriented north-south parallel to each other and evenly spaced, with the skulls between 39 and 59 cm deep. The investigators suggest that this resulted either from a
359:
of the church. A third room was a sand-filled area south of the enclosed sanctuary. The rooms were defined by the burnt remnants of posts and vertical boards. After the 1990–1991 fieldwork, Hoshower and
Milanich concluded that the church identified by Weisman may have been replaced by a larger church
288:
found at the site indicated that the mission was occupied during the first half of the 17th century. The archaeologists identified the site as likely to be that of San Martín de
Timucua, which is known to have been founded in 1608 at Ayacuto (or Ayaocuto). Ayacuto was one of the five major towns that
387:
The 1988–1989 fieldwork identified a 20 m by 37 m cemetery north of that church, which included several rows of burials. Unlike several other
Spanish missions in Florida, no burials were found in the floor of the church. In 1990 and 1991, excavations were conducted in the cemetery. The remains of 23
331:
wall on the east end, and the other sides left open. Posts, about 10 cm square, supported a roof over an area about 10.5 m north-south and 8 m east-west. The floor had been cleared down to bare earth, and a clean sand subfloor about 20 cm thick supported a packed clay floor, which rose in steps from
309:
in the west. The mission of San Martín de
Timucua does not appear in Spanish records after the Timucua rebellion of 1656. An earlier identification of the site as Santa Catalina de Afuerica, which is known to have existed in the area between 1675 and 1685, is less likely based on the evidence of the
421:
were found scattered over that male's filled-in grave. Wrought-iron nails and fragments of nails and potsherds of Native
American and Spanish ceramics were found on the 17-century ground surface and in the dirt that filled in the graves. Several of the burials were missing foot bones, probably from
400:
Bones from 23 individuals were excavated in 1990. Five were female adults, nine were male adults, four were adults of undetermined sex, and five were subadults, from an infant to a child of 13 to 15 years of age. Eight of the individuals were between 25 and 30 years of age at death. One female was
318:
Baltazar López was sent to
Timucua for three months, presumably to the town that became the site of San Martín. There were not enough missionaries available in Spanish Florida to replace Fray López in Timucua until 1607. In 1607 Fray Martin Prieto visited Timucua repeatedly, arriving in the chief
363:
Excavations of the mission site revealed a confusing number of architectural features. Saunders holds that, aside from an early chapel, the available evidence supports more than one narrative of the history of church structures at the mission site. One model is a large church with a single nave,
450:
Of the 23 individuals excavated in the cemetery, eight were complete, four were complete except for their feet, one was missing hands and feet, five were missing some combination of hands, feet, ribs, and/or vertebrae, and five were disarticulated fragments. Seven individuals showed no signs of
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were found in excavating the Fig
Springs site, but no clear patterns representing structures were found. One post hole with an entry trench (2.5 meters long and 1 meter wide) was over a meter deep. A charred stump of a post, 20 to 30 cm in diameter, was found in the hole. Storage or trash pits,
375:, or missionary's residence, northwest of the church he identified based on iron hardware, including a number of nails and spikes, which were found associated with a burned post, a fragment of an ornamental lock, and glass beads and fragments. Saunders did not find evidence of a
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The southern part of the excavated area had distinct burial pits. Some of the burials had disarticulated bones from other individuals mixed in the dirt used to fill the graves. One grave contained two individuals buried close together, with just 5 cm between their
313:
The brother of the chief of
Timucua Province ("Northern Utina") visited St. Augustin in 1597 and asked for a missionary to be assigned to the chiefdom. The Spanish gave him two iron axes and a hoe to use to build a church and house for a missionary. That September
497:, deficient development of enamel on teeth. The structure of the observed hypoplasias indicate that most of them formed between two and five years of age. This was taken as evidence that the hypoplasias resulted from nutritional stress associated with
198:
intervals over a 30 acres (12 ha) area that included the 1986 test excavation site. Artifacts and other materials recovered from the auger tests suggested the presence of a church building, missionary residence
405:, and oriented to the long axis of the church. Individuals had their hands clasped beneath their jaws, or had their arms folded across their chest or abdomen. No evidence was found of coffins or burial
212:
Extensive excavations were carried out in the village area in that year and the next (1988-1989). Excavations of part of the area described as a cemetery were conducted in 1990-1991. Post holes and
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Weisman described the church as having three rooms. At the west end (the "front") was an "L-shaped" room with a clay floor. Saunders interprets Weisman's description to represent a small
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west to east. The structure apparently burned, and the remains were covered by a layer of clean sand. The construction of the church building is comparable to that of the church at the
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of the Spanish mission period. The most common ceramic type found at Fig Springs, which is the most distinctive ceramic type distinguishing Suwannee Valley culture from the neighboring
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to 63 cm deep. The range of depths of graves and the frequency with which graves intruded on older burials suggested to the investigators that the cemetery was in use for many years.
252:
ranges: 1334–1337, 1410–1520, and 1600–1616. There is a 95% probability that the tree the post was fashioned from was cut between 1334 and 1616, with the most likely date being 1437.
505:. This rate is low compared to other Native American populations of the Spanish mission period that practiced maize agriculture, as the residents of Fig Springs were reported to do.
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and native village. Spanish artifacts were found primarily in the northern part of the surveyed area, while Native American artifacts were found primarily in the southern part.
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knife. Small blue beads were found near the feet of a 20 to 25 year old man. A wrought iron nail was found under the feet of a 30 to 35 year old male. Many pieces of a turtle's
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Although burial under a church floor was once considered exceptional for missions in Spanish Florida, more thorough excavation of mission sites has shown that such were common.
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was next to the adult male's skull. Deaths during one of the epidemics that periodically affected the missions in Spanish Florida may have been the cause of the group burials.
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found burials, Spanish artifacts, and evidence of a clay floor, often associated with a mission church in Spanish Florida. In 1988, 1,341 auger holes were drilled at 10
85:
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over 45 years of age at death. The burials resembled those found at other missions in Spanish Florida. The skeletons were usually fully articulated,
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The 1988–1989 excavations led by Weisman revealed a mission church. The mission church (perhaps the first of two) was an open-air structure with a
217:
including a bell-shaped pit, were also found. One pit was filled with charred corncobs, which yielded the latest radiocarbon dates from the site.
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people of the region, dating to the first half of the 17th century. Found within the historical territory of the Timucua people known as the
276:, has been named "Fig Springs Roughened". A minor component of the Suwannee Valley ceramic assemblage has been named "Fig Springs Incised".
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32:
991:
Hoshower, Lisa M.; Milanich, Jerald T. (1993). "Excavations in the Fig Springs Mission Burial Area". In McEwan, Bonnie G. (ed.).
501:. It appears that the incidence of hypoplasia increased over time at the Fig Springs site. Sixteen out of 381 teeth (4.7%) had
430:(upper arms). The remains in the southern part of the excavated area were not as well preserved as those in the northern part.
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Weisman, Brent R. (1993). "Archaeology of Fig Springs Mission, Ichetucknee Springs State Park". In McEwan, Bonnie G. (ed.).
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Saunders, Rebecca (December 1996). "Mission-Period Settlement Structure: A test of the Model at San Martin de Timucua".
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Four samples of charcoal obtained in 1989 and 1990 from the South End part of the Fig Springs site had uncalibrated
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Worth, John E. (2012). "An Overview of the Suwannee Valley Culture". In Ashley, Keith; White, Nancy Marie (eds.).
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pathology, but four of those consisted only of fragments of skulls. Twelve of the individuals showed
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in the tributary in 1949. In 1986, as part of a state project to locate sites visited by the
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A charred square post in a hole in the cemetery had an uncalibrated radiocarbon date of 450
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for an illustration of how one radiocarbon date range can yield three calendar date ranges.
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The Fig Springs site is adjacent to a short tributary connecting Fig Springs to the
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Comparative Mission Archaeology Portal - Fig Springs (Mission San Martín de Tmucua)
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of the older child. The left humerus of that child was missing, while its left
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Excavations on the Franciscan Frontier: Archaeology at the Fig Springs Mission
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Late Prehistoric Florida: Archaeology at the Edge of the Mississippian World
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486:(the bone between the eyes), and a compressive fracture of the C3 and C4
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1054:. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. pp. 149–171.
1035:. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. pp. 165–192.
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995:. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. pp. 217–243.
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at the site, and states that if there was one it may have eroded away.
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All human remains (bones) were reburied on-site after being examined.
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or Utina), which included north Florida north of the
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existed at the beginning of the 17th century in the
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233:(BP), 700 BP, 820 BP, and 110 BP, which yielded
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47:Location of Fig Springs mission site in Florida
482:bone in a hand, a depressive fracture of the
463:. Other skeletal pathologies found included
142:. It has been identified as the site of a
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422:being disturbed by later burials.
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268:, and less than 1% from the later
190:expedition, a survey with limited
154:, it is thought to be the Mission
16:Archaeological site in Florida, US
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471:(vertebral disc extrusions), and
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409:. Only three burials had any
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101:29.9673528°N 82.7760611°W
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235:calibrated calendar date
140:Columbia County, Florida
124:Fig Springs mission site
60:Columbia County, Florida
22:Fig Springs mission site
262:Suwannee Valley culture
106:29.9673528; -82.7760611
1012:Historical Archaeology
776:, pp. 26, 28, 32.
475:, benign bone tumors.
270:Leon-Jefferson culture
260:The definition of the
248:, which yielded three
371:Weisman identified a
266:Weeden Island culture
237:ranges with 2 sigma (
160:San Martín de Ayacuto
156:San Martín de Timucua
598:, pp. 217, 232.
457:porotic hyperostosis
453:periosteal reactions
338:San Juan de Aspalaga
917:, pp. 227–228.
893:, pp. 225–226.
788:, pp. 176–177.
687:, pp. 170–172.
651:, pp. 151–152.
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305:in the east to the
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239:standard deviations
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74:Fort White, Florida
1024:10.1007/BF03373595
977:, p. 233–234.
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953:, p. 230–231.
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495:enamel hypoplasias
488:cervical vertebrae
334:Apalachee Province
1061:978-0-8130-4014-1
1002:978-0-8130-1232-2
842:, pp. 24–25.
764:, pp. 32–35.
711:, pp. 31–32.
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680:
668:
656:
644:
615:
603:
591:
569:Weisman 1993
539:
530:
517:
492:
477:
465:osteoporosis
449:
432:
424:
399:
386:
376:
372:
370:
362:
352:
346:
326:
312:
284:Analysis of
283:
259:
243:
224:
211:
200:
173:
163:
159:
155:
123:
121:
89:29°58′2.47″N
70:Nearest city
446:Pathologies
411:grave goods
336:mission of
192:excavations
170:Description
104: /
80:Coordinates
1111:Categories
673:Worth 2012
661:Worth 2012
649:Worth 2012
620:Worth 2012
608:Worth 2012
551:References
214:post molds
1018:: 24–36.
480:remodeled
349:sanctuary
301:from the
166:in 1608.
503:cavities
484:glabella
473:osteomas
419:carapace
383:Cemetery
377:convento
373:convento
310:sherds.
229:of 1000
202:convento
134:site in
130:) is an
56:Location
1127:Timucua
985:Sources
499:weaning
407:shrouds
396:Burials
256:Culture
164:Ayacuto
148:Timucua
146:to the
1084:
1058:
1039:
999:
436:radius
428:humeri
403:supine
323:Church
286:sherds
180:midden
509:Notes
415:chert
353:atrio
329:plank
316:Friar
207:plaza
138:, in
1082:ISBN
1056:ISBN
1037:ISBN
997:ISBN
521:See
440:ulna
357:nave
128:8CO1
122:The
1020:doi
344:).
64:USA
1113::
1016:30
1014:.
871:^
820:^
805:^
740:^
627:^
576:^
559:^
467:,
390:cm
246:BP
62:,
1090:.
1064:.
1045:.
1022::
1005:.
199:(
196:m
126:(
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