Archaeological Investigations at the Ruiz Family Property (41BX795), San Antonio, Texas

Abstract

Pursuant to an agreement with M. J. Boyle General Contractor, Inc., in early October 1989, an archaeological crew from the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, investigated a portion of what is now the San Antonio City Hall Annex property. When the crew began its work, the area in question was soon to be impacted by the construction of an auxiliary electrical generator fuel tank to be built for the annex building. In the mid-1700s, the property had become the residence of the Ruiz family, one of the first families to settle in San Antonio during Spanish colonial times. The house was subsequently occupied by several generations of the Ruiz family until the early 20th century. Due to the historical and archaeological significance of the site, it was necessary that all construction excavations in the area be archaeologically monitored. Also, in order to more accurately assess the extent and content of cultural resources which might be affected by both the fuel tank construction and any future construction activity in the immediate area, archival research and controlled on-site archaeological test excavations were performed. This report sets forth the results of both the archaeological work and the archival research for the Ruiz site by the CAR-UTSA.