8 Alice Samson

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Leiden University. The university to discover.

The wise (wo)man builds his house upon the

rock: Architectural resilience in the pre-

Columbian Greater Antilles and Virgin Islands

Alice V. M. Samson, Caribbean Research Group

Faculty of Archaeology


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Insular architectural mode

Mode architecturale insulaire

Modo de arquitectura insular


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- Similar architectural footprint- Similar small size- High-pitched roofs- Reinforced facades- Prepared floors- Durability- Securely anchored foundations- Irregular siting


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?

Colonial documents & ethnography

Source:

culturasindigenas09.blogspot.com

Adapted from Oviedo 1851


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sites with structure plans

sites with rock-cut postholes

Published domestic structures


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Cuba Los Buchillones (3-5)Loma del Convento (2)

Jardines&Calvera 1999;Pendergast et al. 2002,2003;Valcrcel Rojas 2005;

Valcrcel Rojas et al. 2006

Puerto Rico Maisabel (1-3)El Bronce (3)Lujn I (8)Ro Tanam (7)Playa Blanca 5 (1)Ro Cocal I (4)

Siegel 1989, 1992; Curet

1992; Robinson et al1983,1985; Rivera&Prez1997; Carlson 2007;Rivera & Rodrguez1991;Goodwin et al.2003; Oliver 2003

U.S.V.I. Tutu (8) Righter et al. 2002

Turks andCaicos

MC-6 (8) Sullivan 1981 in Keegan2007

Jamaica Bellevue-Mannings Hill(1)

Medhurst 1976/77;Allsworth-Jones 2008

DominicanRepublic

El Cabo (30) Samson 2010, 2011;Hofman et al. 2006,2008


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Approach

- Archaeological- Architectural focus (i.e. not related

features or artefactual assemblages)

- Bootstrapping from better documentedsites: Tutu, El Cabo


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-What do the structures have in common?- What can archaeology add to the drawingsof Oviedo?

- How are structures different from the

tropical lowlands?


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1. Architectural footprint

El Cabo, Structure 11


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1. Architectural footprint


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2. Small house size

40% small

50% medium

10% large


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3. High-pitched roofs

Wall/roof posthole El Cabo


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4. Reinforced facades



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Cabo

Tutu

Lujn

4. Reinforced facades


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5. Prepared floors



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Cabo

Tutu

Lujn

6. Durability


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6. Durability

El Cabo, main unit


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sites with rock-cut postholes

7. Securely anchored foundations


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Cuba El MorilloLoma del Convento

Hernndez & Tpanes 2008;Knight 2010

Puerto Rico Lujn IPlaya Blanca 5

Rivera & Prez 1997;Rivera & Rodrguez

DominicanRepublic

El Cabo Samson 2010; Hofman etal. 2006,2008

Turks andCaicos

MC-6 Sullivan 1981 in Keegan2007

FloridaUSA

Miami CirclePalm Royal Circle

Carr 2006; Wheeler &Carr 2004; Collins et al.2006



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El Cabo, main unit


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Punta Macao, DR (photo Gabriel Atiles)

Caletn Blanco, Cap Cana, DR

(photo Harold Olsen)



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Structure 1, Lujn I, Vieques, PR (Rivera and Prez 1997)


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El Morillo, Matanzas, Cuba (Hernndez de Lara y RodrguezTpanes 2008)


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AnselaGourde,Guadeloupe(Hofman,Hoogland&Delpuech2001)



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http://www.archaeology.org/

image.php?page=9909/

abstracts/jpegs/miami.jpeg


Miami Circle, Miami, Florida (Carr

2006, Wheeler & Carr 2004)


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Human ecodynamics

- Coastal ecologies- Mesic (wet) climate C11th-16th- Sea-level fluctuation, flooding, storms- Greater Antilles 5-10% annual chance of

hurricane landfall

- Earthquakes- Tsunamis


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Domestic resilience*

-

High-pitched roofs fixed to ground deflectwind over structure

- Smaller/numerous vslarger/single favouredsurvivorship ratios

- Irregular siting breaks up wind gusts & reducesvulnerability

- Deep foundations securely anchored structures- Prepared floors creates level and stable site- Reinforced facades point of anchorage- Weight distributed evenly though structure- Fast dismantlement and recovery: sacrificial principle

* Recommendations on reducing hurricane and earthquakevulnerability from Cuny, F. C. 1982. Improving of Rural HousingUnits to Withstand Hurricanes. Oxfam.


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1) To elevate the house as a dataset inthe Caribbean

2) Provide a basis for regional and interregionalcomparison

3) To develop a perspective on pre-Columbianhuman ecodynamics in terms of strategies in

architectural resilience.

Conclusions (1/2)


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Conclusions (2/2)


- Suited to island and coastal ecologies- Resistant to extreme weather events- Resilient


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Thanks to colleagues whose

data contributed to this

comparative researchP. Allsworth-Jones

Alistair BrightBetsy CarlsonR.S. Carr, L. Collins & T. Doering

Jago Cooper & M. PerosKate CrawfordL. Antonio CuretKathleen DeaganR. C. GoodwinOdlanyer Hernndez de Lara &

B. E. Rodrguez Tpanes

Corinne L. HofmanMenno L. P. HooglandJ. Jardines & J. CalveraWilliam Keegan

V. J. Knight Jr.Joost MorsinkHarold OlsenJos Oliver

Elizabeth RighterD. Pendergast & E. GrahamVirginia Rivera & S. A. PerezMiguel RodrguezL. S. Robinson, E. R. Lunberg &

J. B. WalkerPeter Siegel

Roberto Valcrcel RojasR. J. Wheeler & R. S. CarrMarcio Veloz Maggiolo


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Leiden University. The university to discover.

IACA attendance & El Cabo research funded by Houses for the Livingand the Deadproject, Netherlands Foundation for ScientificResearch, grant 360-62-030, PI Menno Hoogland

Thanks to the support of the Caribbean Research Group, Leiden

University

Download dissertation El Cabo: http://leiden.academia.edu/AliceSamson/Papers/

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