Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

28 / Chapter 2.
1723, and Edward Long in 1774, but archaeological work did not begin until
1937, when the estate manager’s horse stumbled upon a well that turned out to
be within the walls of the former Spanish governor’s castle or fort (Woodward
1988:Figure 4) (Appendix 52). Captain Cotter and Geraint Casserly, the estate
manager, removed several items from the well including at least three pieces of
elaborately carved stonework. Subsequently, Casserly “cleared the earth from
the vicinity south of the well,” and “within a few yards” of it “lying in no particular
order” were found the remainder of the carved stones that are now at the
Institute of Jamaica (Cotter 1948, 1956, 1970). The stone is apparently local,
and it has been speculated that the work was carried out “by Arawaks working
with a Spanish craftsman” (Wynter 1988). The Spanish art historian Diego
Angulo Iñiguez visited the site in 1942 and, following him, Cotter suggested
that these “beautifully carved pilasters or columns” were executed in a style
known as “Renaissance grotesque” (cf. Curtin 1994). Cotter added, however,
that there was “a definite local influence,” and he drew attention in particular
to a doorjamb with “two female figures” that he took to be Amerindian (Cotter
1948:Figure 1). Whether or not this is so, there is other evidence to show that
“the indigenous Taíno were present at the site throughout its occupation,” and
that there was a significant degree of interaction between them and the Spaniards
(Woodward 2006).
This evidence above all consists of the ceramics recovered from the site, particularly
the castle or fort (Woodward 1988:Figure 44) (Appendix 53). This
material was recovered by Cotter during excavations between 1953 and 1968,
when according to him he found 1,742 Spanish ceramics and 1,486 “Indian
pottery sherds” (Cotter 1970). According to Woodward’s subsequent analysis
of the finds, there were 2,458 European ceramic pieces, and 1,797 that could
be classified as Arawak (Woodward 1988). In general these belonged to the
Meillacan or White Marl tradition. But in addition she identified 32 sherds and
seven vessels that she regarded as “syncretic Hispanic- Indian ware,” first christened
“St. Ann’s Bay” and later “New Seville” ware (Woodward 2006). These
products “combined Old World ceramic forms with New World ceramic technology,”
the assumption being that Taíno artisans were put to work to produce
some vessels that corresponded to Spanish tastes. Thus, six base sherds
from small bowls either have attached foot rings or show evidence of where
such rings have been sheared off (Woodward 1988:Figure 38) (Appendix 54).
There are two rims of small jars or pitchers that would have had handles not
in the usual Taíno style (Woodward 1988:Figure 39a), and a “pedestal cup”
(Woodward 1988:Figure 39b) (Appendix 55). There is one complete handled