An English House in Alexandra Colony, Santa Fe, Argentina, 1870-85

Abstract

We present the history and archaeology of an English settlement in the north of Santa Fe Province, Argentina, named Alexandra Colony. Thomson Bonar & Co.—a London bank signing the contract with governor Simon de Iriondo to establish the settlement in 1870—financed this project of colonization. The name of the colony was the banks’ tribute to the princess of Great Britain, Alexandra of Denmark, Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law. We describe here the characteristics of the contract, the execution of the project—its advances and setbacks—and the reasons for the sale of the colony. We will analyze in particular the characteristics of the house and the ceramic remains discarded there to recreate how the space was used in the main house. This house was the place where daily life evolved, and the ceramic remains allow us to identify its specific spheres. In addition, manufacturing techniques provide chronological and stylistic information useful for deducing the consumption behaviors and trading patterns of the time.