Resumen de Spaces of Entanglement: Labor and Construction Practice at Fort San Juan de Joara
Robin A. Beck, Lee Ann Newsom, Christopher Rodning, David G. Moore
An analysis of architectural remains reveals changes in both construction practice and the organization of labor during the occupation of Fort San Juan de Joara, located at the Berry site in present-day North Carolina. This fort and its associated domestic area, referred to as the Spanish compound, were established in December 1566 by Captain Juan Pardo and constitute the earliest European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States. Excavations in Structures 1 and 5, built at different times in the compound’s 18-month occupation, recovered well-preserved remains of wooden construction elements, with some displaying evidence of cutting and preparation with metal tools. Focusing on wood selection and wood preparation, we show that construction labor through the early phase of the Spanish occupation was divided between settler and indigenous host communities; later, however, as relations between these groups deteriorated, so did indigenous participation in Spanish construction projects.
