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Concepcion De La Vega 1495-1564: a Preliminary Look at Lifeways in the Americas’ First Boom Town

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Concepcion De La Vega 1495-1564: a Preliminary Look at Lifeways in the Americas’ First Boom Town CONCEPCION DE LA VEGA 1495-1564: A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT LIFEWAYS IN THE AMERICAS’ FIRST BOOM TOWN By PAULINE M. KULSTAD A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1 © 2008 Pauline M. Kulstad 2 To my parents and family 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to first thank the people of Pueblo Viejo and La Vega who made this all possible, most especially Archaeologist Fabio Pimentel. I would like to thank all my family (Bob, Norma, Tess and Roger) for their untiring support over the years. I would like to thank the chair and members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Deagan, Dr. Murray and Dr. Milbrath, for their mentoring and all their help. I would also like to thank Dr. Martha Ellen Davis for her untiring support. I also thank all the staff at the Center for Latin American Studies who were always willing to lend an ear and give advice, especially Myrna Sulsona, Margarita Gandia and Wanda Carter. Thank you also to all the members of the Archaeology Department at the Florida Museum of Natural History who made having lunch at the Museum a fun and learning experience, especially Al Woods, Gifford Waters, Jamie Anderson, Jeremy Cohen and Terry Weik. I would especially like to thank the Casa del Ritmo crew, as well as the Computer lab buddies for all the fun and feedback over the years. I would also specially thank the Russin family for all the help received throughout my last year of writing, especially Benjamin (my personal IT person) and Toni (my time manager). This thesis has been called many things by many people, my personal favorite being “Magnus Opus.” It has taken me 8 years to finish, through many high and low points in my life. The explanation for this long process is simple (according to my DR relatives), and explained magnificently by Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize winning book “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” - it is the Fukú of the Admiral (Columbus). Like Díaz, I hope this document serves as my counter spell. ZAFA! 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................8 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK..................................................12 Introduction.............................................................................................................................12 Modern Context of Concepción de la Vega ...........................................................................14 Theoretical Framework...........................................................................................................15 Organization and Approach....................................................................................................17 2 SOURCES AND AVENUES OF INQUIRY.........................................................................21 First Avenue of Inquiry: Historical Sources...........................................................................21 Second Avenue of Inquiry: Architecture and Art History......................................................28 Third Avenue of Inquiry: Material Remains ..........................................................................29 3 HISTORY...............................................................................................................................32 Introduction.............................................................................................................................32 Columbus and the Establishment of Hispaniola.....................................................................32 Castile and Aragon in 1493 ....................................................................................................33 La Isabela Colony: Factoría vs. Reconquista Model..............................................................35 The Establishment of the Concepción Fort ............................................................................38 Battle of La Vega Real (1495)................................................................................................39 Fray Ramón Pané Studies the Taíno at Concepción...............................................................41 Concepción and the Roldán Rebellion (1496-1498) ..............................................................42 Guarionex Rebellion (1497-1499)..........................................................................................45 Bobadilla Government (1500-1502).......................................................................................46 Ovando Government (1502-1509)..........................................................................................48 The Governorship of Diego Columbus (1509-1514)..............................................................52 Repartimiento of 1510.....................................................................................................53 Bishopric of Concepción de la Vega (1511) ...................................................................55 The new Repartimiento of 1514 ......................................................................................58 Situation on Hispaniola 1515..................................................................................................61 Hispaniola under Juana and Charles: Jeronymite Government (1516-1519).........................62 Figueroa Government (1519-1520) ........................................................................................67 Impact of the Enriquillo Rebellion on Concepción ................................................................68 5 Diego Columbus’s Second Governorship ..............................................................................68 Creation of the Consejo de Indias (1524)...............................................................................70 Interim Government (1524-1528)...........................................................................................71 Fuenreal Government (1528-1531) ........................................................................................72 Fuenmayor Government (1533-1543) ....................................................................................73 Cerrato Government (1543-1548) ..........................................................................................74 Religious Debates in Spain and its Consequences on Hispaniola (1550) ..............................76 The Last Years at the Concepción Study Site (1549-1564) ...................................................77 Concluding Remarks ..............................................................................................................78 4 ARCHAEOLOGY: METHODOLOGY AND FIELDWORK ..............................................94 Introduction.............................................................................................................................94 Chronology of Archaeology at the Site ..................................................................................94 Project for the Conservation and Development of the Rural, Physical and Human Resources at the Parques Nacionales of the Dominican Republic: La Isabela and Concepción de la Vega (1996-1999)...................................................................................98 Artifact Recovery and Classification: 1996-1999 ................................................................101 Shepard Report .....................................................................................................................102 Numismatic Studies..............................................................................................................102 5 CONCEPCION’S GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT...........108 Definition of the Concepción Site ........................................................................................108 Geographical Setting ............................................................................................................108 Spanish Towns on Hispaniola ..............................................................................................109 Origin and Development of Concepción ..............................................................................112 Concepción's Physical Layout: A Grid-plan Town? ............................................................113 Concepción’s Built Environment .........................................................................................116 Buildings and Materials........................................................................................................118 The Fort ................................................................................................................................120 The Franciscan Monastery / Monasterio de San Francisco .................................................123 The Cathedral........................................................................................................................125 Other Religious Structures at Concepción............................................................................127
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