Between hills and gullies. Advances in the archaeological site plan of San José Fort (Península Valdés, Chubut)

Abstract

This study presents the archaeological site plan from San José Fort site (Península Valdés, Chubut). The plan is the result of an integration of historical and cartographic documentation, complemented by the archaeological results from three field seasons. One of the main questions that guided this research referred to how space was organized and inhabited in this particular colonial settlement, especially given that the historical data was fragmented and ambiguous, while the archaeological record was unobtrusive. This makes San José Fort a rare and complex case in historical archaeology. Here we present our methodological approach for examining the organization and use of this colonial space, focusing on the natural formation processes that affected the site, and the consequences of this for the archaeological record and the preservation of local heritage.