Artifacts get sorted and identified
We know it now as Joara. Hernando de Soto called it Xuala. Juan Pardo named it Cuenca. It is also known as the Berry Site, for the landowners, the Berry family. Soto visited in 1540. Pardo came in 1567 and 1568. It's located in Burke County NC just outside Morganton.
The landowners, the Berry family allow the Joara Foundation to conduct an archeological dig on part of their property. I was able to visit the site with the Swannanoa Valley Museum of Black Mountain NC.
Archeological evidence tells us that the site has a long history from Clovis Indians to modern day. Artifacts from various Native American cultures and 16th century Spanish are weaving a fascinating narrative here. One that possibly changed history.
The Native American presence can be traced back to 12 - 13,000 years ago evidenced by the discovery of a Clovis spear point found in the 1970s. Other stone points, tools and pottery from various Native American cultures have also surfaced. The earlier Native presence would have been temporary or seasonal encampments. Later during the Mississippian culture a much larger and important settlement developed. The Mississippians were mound builders. My first question was where is the mound. Our guide for the visit is Mike Cunningham, a Joara volunteer. He replied that there was a mound investigated by the Smithsonian in 1891. It was measured as 200 feet wide and 20 feet tall. Sometime in the 1950s, the landowners bulldozed it away to level their agricultural field. At that time, no one knew the significance of this place.
We know from the scribes and chroniclers of the Soto and Pardo expeditions that both had passed through this area. We still don't know where Soto stayed but recent discoveries have pinpointed the spot Pardo visited. Juan Pardo and 120 men left the Spanish capital of Florida, St Helena (now Parris Island, SC) in 1567 to establish a land road to silver mines in Mexico. The Spaniards had grossly miscalculated the distance. They thought the Blue Ridge was the same mountain chain that ran through Mexico. Pardo's orders were to establish a land route and secure it with forts. They wanted to protect their claim to the land, mainly from the French.
Pardo arrived at Joara and, at first he had a good reciprocal relationship with the Catawba Indians who occupied the site. He ordered a fort built, named it Fort San Juan. It consisted of a palisade and a moat around it. Their quarters were several houses built outside the fort. Pardo was called back to St Helena and left 30 men to man the fort. The Natives convinced the soldiers to settle some scores with their enemies. The Spaniards and Catawbas raided several tribes in the Saltville VA and East Tennessee areas. They killed many of the Catawba enemies and burned a couple villages. The Spaniards were captured near Asheville and held captive. Pardo, already nearby, came to their aid. Pardo found the solders and was in the process of returning with them to Fort San Juan when they learned of an ambush. That delayed them but they finally made it back to Fort San Juan. After recuperating for 20 days, Pardo left Fort San Juan on Nov 24 1567 for St Helena, leaving 30 solders to man the fort.
In May 1568, news reached St Helena that Fort San Juan and 5 other forts had been burned and all solders killed except one. The one survivor claimed to have hidden during the raid and then made his way back to St Helena traveling at night and resting during the day. However, his story didn't add up and it is more likely he was spared because of a relationship with a Native woman. Although, I can't find any documentation for this, we were told that the Native woman must have accompanied him back to St Helena and years later filed for his military pension after his death.
Enough history! Let's walk around the Joara site. The Spanish built their fort and living quarters in close proximity to what is likely the Native cacique's home and a ceremonial pole. The fort had a V shaped moat around it. The fort's footprint showed up on ground penetrating radar as did the living quarters and the Native house which was likely occupied by the local cacique. These have all been excavated. It is likely the Natives swept the fort clean before burning it and killing the soldiers, so nothing much was recovered there except for a few items the Natives would not have found useful. It is speculated that the bodies were dumped in the moat and covered over. The moat has yet to be excavated.
The cacique's house located nearby is being excavated now. Below is a piece of metal from a wedge or chisel. There is a record that Pardo gave this type of item to Natives along his journey. It was found in the cacique's house along with many other artifacts that were likely gifts from Spaniards and other Natives. The metal piece was dug the day before and found in the wash station earlier in the day. The head archeologist was very excited about it.
Once an area has been excavated, it is covered with plastic and then fill dirt is placed over it. The landowner has given the Joara Foundation permission to dig in an area that does not encompass the entire Native village. There were a number of other native houses that are not be investigated at this time. Volunteers come daily to dig. They are permitted to dig down to a certain level where artifacts are revealed. The pros take over at that point and dig down until artifacts disappear. Each grid section's dirt is screened. Whatever is left is taken to the wash station where dirt is washed away. Archeologists sift through everything, separating stone tools, pottery chards, lithics and anything else. It is all bagged up with the grid from which it was located noted. Looking at this process, I saw lots of pottery chards.
During our visit, there must have been 30 people working various tasks at the site. Most looked like grad students but there were also many volunteers there. You can arrange a work visit through the Joara Foundation.
I mentioned earlier that events here possibly changed history. The Spanish abandoned the forts and road they were attempting to build to the Mexican silver mines. Had they succeeded in creating a presence here, they would have created settlements and defended their claim. It was decades before The English even attempted to colonize the area. There would have been a strong Spanish presence along the coast and in the interior. Instead, the Spanish abandoned the project and St Helena and concentrated on the Caribbean, Central and South America, allowing the England to fill the void.
