Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Proposed Castroville Regional Park Improvement and Expansion, City of Castroville, Medina County, Texas

Abstract

During January 2004, the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an archaeological survey of a selected portion (300 feet by 7 feet) of the proposed expansion and improvement of Castroville Regional Park in the City of Castroville, Medina County, Texas. The Phase I survey consisted of the excavation of six shovel tests. A single previously unrecorded prehistoric archaeological site (41ME134) was encountered atop a ridge landform. Abundant amounts of burned rock and lithic debitage, along with several tested cobbles, a few cores, and one non-diagnostic uniface were encountered at ground surface and within the upper 10 cm of shallow soils mantling the landform. Due to the primarily surficial nature of this site and the lack of cultural features, the Center for Archaeological Research recommends that site 41ME134 is ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or for designation as a State Archeological Landmark. It is therefore recommended that the proposed improvements proceed without further cultural resources investigations. This work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3328 with Steve A. Tomka serving as Principal Investigator. Burned rock collected from the site was discarded pursuant to Chapter 26.27(g)(2) of the Texas Administrative Code. All other artifacts collected during the survey are permanently housed at the Center for Archaeological Research curatorial facility.