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Artifact

Pig

Pig

Common Name: Pig (juvenile)

Scientific Name: Sus scrofa

Shipping manifests indicate that hams were frequently exported from Apalachee to Havana, and abundant pig remains found in the excavations at Mission San Luis suggest that pork was a favorite dish among the residents. Since many of these remains were those of young pigs, it indicates that they were raised and slaughtered for meat. Apalachee hogs became so abundant that from 1650s to the 1670s they cost only 4 pesos each, the same price as a poncho or blanket.

Notes:

Animal Used at Mission San Luis

The study of plant and animals from sites (ethnobotany and zooarchaeology, respectively) is one of the most illuminating aspects of archaeological research. It can reveal details about past environments, resources, settlement patterns, agricultural practices, architecture, social life, and diet unavailable from other types of data.

Since plant remains are so fragile and often difficult to see, we have limited their display to a static exhibit case format (see "Apalachee Life"). However, we have selected some animal bones found at Mission San Luis, along with comparative skeletal materials (Drawers 17-26), to give to a sense of the challenges faced by those researchers who identify, analyze, and interpret these materials.

We have supplemented the skeletal materials with archaeological and documentary information about the use of these animals in Spanish Florida and at Mission San Luis.

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