To delve into some of the least known aspects of the past and share this information with multiple audiences through innovative means.
Discoveries don’t just lie in the ground...they can be made by cracking open the cover of an old book or reading a collection of letters.
Archives and libraries hold valuable information about the past. Historical, comparative, and archival research provide context that helps researchers interpret archaeological discoveries and retell old stories with contemporary approaches.
Written, visual, and oral records about the Presidio's past - from historic maps to early explorer's accounts to official government documents - provide crucial background and historical detail.
The results of these research endeavors, coupled with excavation, are the topic of frequent publication by Presidio Trust archaeology staff and partners. A number of dissertations, masters and honors theses, juried articles and other writings have established a strong tradition of publication and dissemination of Presidio-based research.
Memories y Facturas
Through a partnership with the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historía, microfilm related to colonial California from the Archivo General de la Nación, in Mexico City, was transcribed and translated into English.
Digital Atlas of Historic Maps
The Presidio Archaeology Program has assembled historical maps from the U.S. Army, the National Archives, and the Bancroft Library, into a digital format that allows researchers to accurately scale and overlay historic maps onto modern surveys and better predict the locations where archaeological features may be found.
Archaeology in America: An Encyclopedia
Lab staff wrote an entry about the Presidio for this recently published four-volume encyclopedia.
Historical Archaeology: At the Edge of Empire
When the academic journal Historic Archaeology organized a thematic issue on the “Presidios of the North American Borderlands” the editors contacted Presidio Archaeology Program staff and partners to author an article on the northernmost outpost at San Francisco. This 2004 article summarizes the history of colonization and provides data from our preliminary findings for comparative research along the Spanish Borderlands.