Brazos Santiago's Legacy: Implications of CRM on a Texas Maritime Landscape

Abstract

Situated in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), Brazos Santiago was the deepest natural deep-water port for southernmost Texas and northernmost Mexico for over one hundred- and fifty-years. Due to its depth and position, it participated in international, national, and regional trade. Unfortunately, because of local harbor development and natural disasters the port was abandoned by 1930. Today it is known as 41CF4 by the Texas Historical Commission but it is largely forgotten by the public. However, the LRGV’s costal region is currently experiencing a surge of urbanization and commercialization which is threatening archaeological resources such as Brazos Santiago (41CF4). This poses the following question: has enough data on Brazos Santiago (41CF4) been collected to preserve the site’s legacy for future generations? Overall, this dissertation sought to complete two objectives. The first objective was to analyze how archaeological surveys influenced Brazos Santiago’s (41CF4) interpretation and preservation, the recovery of cultural materials, and associated data, while gauging if this information is enough to preserve Brazos Santiago’s legacy for future generations. The second objective was to generate an authoritative source on the LRGV’s maritime heritage centering around Brazos Santiago. Maritime cultural landscape theory was used to frame this investigation and refine six channels of chapter specific research inquires. This dissertation utilizes archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and archival related data to fully contextualize Brazos Santiago’s place within the LRGV’s maritime landscape. This case study on Brazos Santiago can be used as a model on how the LRGV balances preserving the past while moving into the future and can be applied to other maritime landscapes experiencing similar shifts.