Archaeological Field School in the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio

In recent years I have conducted an Archaeological Field School in the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio where we have conducted geophysical surveys and excavations. Years of preparation went into coordinating and consulting with the Santa Barbara Trust and their Senior Archaeologist Mike Immwallee to organize a long term field project in Santa Barbara. Students at CSULB have access to some of the most sophisticated equipment used in field archaeology today, including the use of a laser transit, cesium vapor magnetometer, excavation tools, and field computers. At present there are several students working with collections from the Santa Barbara Presidio site in our archaeology lab. Furthermore, Liz Gross and Barbara Baltierra are using excavation data, records, and collections for their thesis research regarding gender issues and early Spanish archaeology. The purpose of the class is to teach the students about archaeological field survey, geophysical applications, and recording strategies.

El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park is the site of the oldest building in Santa Barbara and the second oldest in California. Visitors can step back and view this historic site surrounded by modern buildings. El Cuartel, the oldest existing building in Santa Barbara, is all that remains of the last of four Royal Presidios (Spanish military outposts) built in Alta California. Two original buildings have been restored and five other reconstructed. Handmade adobe blocks were used to reconstrcut the Padres' Quarters and Presidio Chapel.

Founded April 21, 1782, the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio was the last in a chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish along the coast of Alta California, then a wilderness frontier. Others had been established at San Diego, San Francisco and Monterey. Padre Junipero Serra, well known for his leadership in founding the California missions, blessed the site of the Santa Barbara Presidio four years prior to the establishment of the Mission of Santa Barbara in 1786. El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park encompasses much of the original Presidio site and is located in modern downtown Santa Barbara at the intersection of Santa Barbara and East Canon Perdido Streets.

The Presidios played a vital role in the occupation of New Spain. They protected the missions and settlers against attack by Indians, provided a seat of government, and guarded the country against foreign invasion. The Santa Barbara Presidio was both military headquarters and governmental center of the entire region extending from the southern limits of present day San Luis Obispo County to and including the Pueblo of Los Angeles.

The whitewashed buildings were constructed of sun-dried adobe bricks laid upon foundations of sandstone boulders. Timbers from the Los Padres forest supported roofs of red tile. The buildings of the Presidio formed a quadrangle enclosing a central parade ground, the whole surrounded by an outer defense wall with two cannon bastions. The most prominent structure was the Chapel, Santa Barbara's first church for its townspeople. The Christianized Indian population worshipped at the mission . The first Comandante of the new Presidio was Lt. José Francisco de Ortega. He was succeeded in 1784 by Lt. Felipe de Goicoechea, who supervised construction of the fortifications and living quarters for the soldiers and their families and remained in command until 1802. Today, only two sections of the original Presidio quadrangle remain, and both are within the State Park: El Cuartel, the family residence of the soldier assigned to guard the western gate into the Plaza de Armas, and the Canedo Adobe, named after the Presidio soldier to whom it was deeded when the Presidio became inactive.