Theses Doctoral

Los Vecinos del Embudo: An Historical Archaeological Analysis of Multiple Colonialisms in the Northern Rio Grande

Bondura, Valerie

This dissertation explores the layering of colonial and imperial processes in the Northern Rio Grande region of North America from a material perspective. It investigates how different outside influences shaped the development of San Antonio del Embudo, a vecino land grant community, from the 18th to 20th centuries. Based on historical, archaeological, and anthropological research, the study traces the accumulation and impact of various processes on Embudo. It places particular emphasis on how vecino life responded to existing and emerging Indigenous political and economic dynamics and the impact of later American colonialism.

The dissertation analyzes excavation data to track changing settlement patterns over time and examines ceramics found in excavation contexts to understand Embudo's role in the regional ceramic economy. Additionally, it draws on archival records and community knowledge to aid in archaeological interpretation. This work reveals the multifaceted social position of vecinos in the Northern Rio Grande. Vecinos have, at times, embodied Spanish colonial policies and aspirations. Yet they have also forged long-term relations with Pueblo nations, negotiated an ambivalent relationship to American settler colonialism, and developed distinct ways of dwelling in the region through centuries of navigating Spanish, American, and Indigenous influences.

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More About This Work

Academic Units
Anthropology
Thesis Advisors
Fowles, Severin Morris
Degree
Ph.D., Columbia University
Published Here
October 18, 2023