From Colonial Representation to Materiality: Spanish Settlements on the Valdés Peninsula, Patagonian Coast (1779–1810)

Abstract

In recent years the acknowledgment of the importance of peripheral realities, local contexts and social actors? roles in shaping both colonialism and modern society has contributed to challenge the conception of colonialism as a monolithic, unilinear process. This article explores this problematic through the historical and archaeological study of the Spanish colonization of Patagonia. It describes the case of Fuerte San José (Valdes Peninsula, Chubut Province, Argentina), a military fort which lasted between 1779 and 1810, which is discussed as an example of how colonization actually operated within a wider colonial context. Here, the integration of historical and archaeological evidence provides the means for contrasting the planning and the implementation of colonial projects in order to uncover its complex and multifaceted character.