Renewing the house : trajectories of social life in the yucayeque (community) of El Cabo, Higüey, Dominican Republic, AD 800 to 1504

Samson, A.V.M.

What was the pre-Columbian house like? The aim of the PhD research was to come to an archaeological vision of precolonial domestic life in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), rather than rely on Spanish colonial descriptions from the 15th and 16th centuries. The dissertation presents archaeological research from the site of El Cabo, perched on a coastal promontory at the extreme eastern end of the Dominican Republic, and seven centuries of indigenous community history from its development and florescence, to eventual demise through the dominant structure, the house. Over two thousand archaeological features cut directly into the limestone bedrock, and an artefact assemblage of pottery, shell and stone led to reconstructions of fifty domestic structures, thirty of which are houses, which formed part of a community between ca. AD 800 and 1504. The repeated rebuilding, or renewal of houses led to the development of long-lived estates, referred to as House Trajectories, the...Show moreWhat was the pre-Columbian house like? The aim of the PhD research was to come to an archaeological vision of precolonial domestic life in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), rather than rely on Spanish colonial descriptions from the 15th and 16th centuries. The dissertation presents archaeological research from the site of El Cabo, perched on a coastal promontory at the extreme eastern end of the Dominican Republic, and seven centuries of indigenous community history from its development and florescence, to eventual demise through the dominant structure, the house. Over two thousand archaeological features cut directly into the limestone bedrock, and an artefact assemblage of pottery, shell and stone led to reconstructions of fifty domestic structures, thirty of which are houses, which formed part of a community between ca. AD 800 and 1504. The repeated rebuilding, or renewal of houses led to the development of long-lived estates, referred to as House Trajectories, the most successful of which lasted up to 500 years. These results offer new, deep perspectives on precolonial domestic dynamics.Show less

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Renewing the house : trajectories of social life in the yucayeque (community) of El Cabo, Higüey, Dominican Republic, AD 800 to 1504

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