* Introduction

* The jars. Terminology

* Previous studies: type, timing and production centers

* The jars into three colonial constructions in Havana. The reported results of archaeological work

* Bibliography

Introduction

There are numerous constructive and architectural elements and ceramic building materials involved in the Cuban colonial architecture and specifically in Havana, following a tradition that goes back to Sumeria, the cradle of human civilization. Just to mention, to illustrate this assertion, the tiled roofs, key members of pitched roofs, the almost general to resolve the roofs of buildings during the period under review, as well as hydraulic slabs constitute the termination (along with the stone) of the soils of the galleries and rooms and also participate in beam systems for slab and beam or plank for a table for the solution of the upper floors and flat roofs or roofs. Other important components are the tiles fundamental, but not exclusively, majolica, with which they covered the walls of kitchens and bathrooms and hallways sockets, galleries and stairs, but we can not forget the clay pipes (athanors ), with and without glasses that are used for water conveyance. It is clear that no building material made with clay will be as ubiquitous and important as the brick.

A record that relates directly to the topic of this paper is the reuse of ceramic in Havana buildings from the colonial period, outside of functions for which they were made and that gave him value in use. This is the case of tiled roofs snippets, slabs, tiles, containers, pots and other utilitarian pieces, used as part of the filling of openings boarded up and floors of rough stones (with the participation by the stone and other incidental materials as beef bones) in the thickened walls, stuffed with scallops and many other cases that attest to the ancient builders use for our full range of materials they had at their fingertips.

This work has three main objectives:

o To provide an overview of the most remarkable results of research in the world about the pitchers as an artifact.

o Discuss the characteristics of two reuses of the jars in three convents colonial Havana.

. Reporting the typological characteristics of the jars studied in two of the sites that shows a new subtype of flat bottom jar and a background plane is not mentioned in the literature.

o Discuss the possibility of production of jars in colonial Havana based on data from the archaeological record.

Stimulate discussion and publication of information domestically produced about these ceramic, with a powerful presence in the archaeological record in Latin America.

  

The jars

Terminology

No other ceramic container has received many names as the present one, which probably is related to their abundance and ubiquity in the American archaeological record, given its wide use as commercial and utility continent and its long life, ranging from late fifteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century.

We begin by clarifying that John Goggin (1980), author of the first and most important work on these containers, use the name jar of oil (Olive Jar) following Holmes (1903: 129-130), recognizing that the term has no any ethnographic or linguistic significance only as a designation of a “type” and following the principle of using the first typological designation.

It is a clear example of how unhappy the name of Goggin the number of terms that have been employed outside the Anglo-Saxon to study these ceramics. Avery (1997: 90) refers to use in the field of archaeological studies: olive jar, jar, jug of oil, jar, jug, jug anforita and, yet have been used to pitchers and botijuela.

However, even for Anglo-Saxon world, the term seems to be necessary jar given the fact that all the documentation that mentions these vessels colonial uses of jugs, pitchers are, at sign and fourth regular half arroba of a room and even that of botijuela. Take for example the discussion in this regard the work of Clive Carruthers “Botijas or Spanish Olive Jars from the Santo Domingo Monastery, Guatemala” (2003: 40-55) (emphasis added).

An interesting note regarding these vessels and their presence in Cuba is provided by the “Dictionary of voices and phrases Cuban” Esteban Pichardo (1836), when we define the jar as follows:”In the Western Department gives its name to that described in the Dictionary of the Academy and is coming from Spain with liquid oil which contains nine to twelve pounds, or eight cylinders, then served to transport and sell milk.

It’s called the Vueltarriba Botija botijuela and the larger, much more capacity, red clay, which produced there and intended to carry water, molasses, etc.

Previous studies: type, timing and production centers

The study of reference in relation to this issue it is the meticulous research done by John Goggin (cite his work published in 1980 but first published in 1960). However add some essential considerations for studies of this issue by Stephen R. James Jr. (1988: 43-66), update job chronological and typological data that are relevant for our purposes. It also took into account the work of Mitchell Marken (1994), Clive Carruthers (2003: 40-55) and George Avery (1997), which by its complexity, has made a significant amount of data, unfortunately unpublished at present.

The jar is a container business in an amphora, along the Mediterranean tradition that dates back to 1800 BC, with Canaanite amphorae used in the northern Syrian-Lebanese region; classifiable as ordinary ceramic, high permeability, which can present or unglazed, glazed or slipped, both inside and outside, which is depending on what was to be packed in the same: the glazed or glazed pots were more appropriate, given its impermeability to transport liquids such as wine, that could break through the porous walls that had not enameled or glazed and were suitable for thicker substances like tar, butter, honey or granular solids, the container trade was widely used in oil transportation olive oil, olives in brine, wine, peas, beans and other grains, and honey, butter, tar, and soap, among different products. During his long period of use the jug had no real competition as commercial container, which speaks clearly of its extraordinary abundance and ubiquity in the archaeological record in Central America and Caribbean, this is justified by the fact that those goods were not only Atlantic crossing aboard the ships but, in many cases should then be transported on the backs of mules, on mule trains to reach remote areas of ports for trade. The production of these jars covers a chronological period from the sixteenth century and probably before, until about 1850, according to Goggin, who states in his study three different styles that you assign timelines within this range as follows:

– Style early-ca. 1500-1575

– Style middle-ca. 1580-1780

– Late-Style ca. 1780-1850

However, some clarifications provided by James (op. cit) in the study of collections of jars taken from the wrecks of ships “Conde de Tolosa” and “Our Lady of Guadalupe, both wrecked on the northeast coast of the Spanish in 1724, extending the scope of the production period of styles and shapes according to Goggin, to begin reporting form (III) of a concave, not classified above (picture) and another (IV) of apparently author is an intermediate link between the way C Goggin Medium style and form D Late style, as to which is assigned a timeline of the eighteenth century, another author of this interesting proposition is that the Middle and Late Styles not necessarily occur in chronological ranges assigned Goggin.

In the case of Marken (1994) the author makes the interesting report completely flat-bottomed jars, extracted from the wreck of the Atocha (1622) and “Santa Ana Maria” (1627). These pieces were machined from the flat base, giving them a specific shape and unmistakable. For the author it is a failed experiment to judge by the paucity of evidence found in these flat-bottomed jars.

Carruthers (2003: 53) also suggests that the later style of Goggin (ca 1780-1850) begins at least before 1773, date of destruction of the monastery of Santo Domingo in Antigua, Guatemala, place in jars displayed in this style.

Important was the report of at least two different forms of the early style of the jars (Avery, 1997:95) that are represented in drawings. One of these two forms is consistent with the already described by Goggin but without handles, while the other is similar to the way to the middle and late styles.

The truth is that everything suggests that the stylistic dating made by Goggin do not always correspond with reality, in cases of middle and late styles, so that a new comprehensive study should be produced in the coming days to assimilate the data has brought the archaeological record in the years following the work of that author, whose extraordinary merit can not be minimized.

Has been established as part of the transatlantic trade on board Spanish vessels such as jars to be used to transport wine (Marken, 1994:45-50) while form B was used for transporting olive oil ( Marken, 1994:45-50. Colin Martin Avery 1994:94) and C for the transportation of honey (Colin Martin Avery, 1994: 103)

An interesting topic, finally, is related to the place of manufacture of the jars. Castilla Spain and it is the middle initial and most important producer of these containers. However, the two most important wine-producing centers for the Carrera de las Indias were Cazalla and Jerez, areas to be studied from a geological point of view, and apply the technique of thin section analysis of samples of baked mud, threw the result that they were not producing areas of the jars (Avery, 1994: 147.148). It is understood that area was the Guadalquivir river valley which was tasked with producing greater weight of these containers and especially the city of Seville and the surrounding area (Avery, 1994: 224).

The production of jars out of the Spanish area was first reported in the valley of Moscagua in colonial Peru (Prudence Rice, 1994). These copies are relatively easily distinguished by being larger, have thicker walls and not having the surface covered by a white color. Do not forget, moreover, that Peru became a wine production area so successful that the King Philip II banned the planting of vineyards in the Americas.

On the other hand, we have the reference of the archaeologist Lourdes Dominguez (personal communication, 2006) that a production center of these vessels were the Canary Islands, scale transatlantic voyage. There is a tradition that sailed from these islands in chartered boats and sold them in America, at the best price, the wines produced there, at the expense of those from Spain, which led to a real ban in the year 1582 (Avery , 1994: 174)

Finally, as discussed later in this paper, the possibility exists that have been produced jars in Havana, given the evidence taken from excavations at the former convent of Our Lady of Bethlehem by the author and studied in conjunction with the specialist Irina Jouraleva Anthropology Center CITMA (Arduengo and Jouraleva, unpublished) as well as those obtained in the former Convent of Santa Clara of Assisi.

The jars IN THREE BUILDINGS IN THE COLONIAL HAVANA. RESULTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK REPORTED

Our attention will focus on two ways to reuse these vessels that do not relate to functional capacity as a container, it is clear that as such is widely reused for carrying and storage of drinking water and other liquids (Goggin, 1980: 16), to store some solid pellets preserved in both brine and oil.

What matter for the purposes of this study, referred to by the author mentioned, is the reuse of these jars as construction materials in different parts of the Caribbean area, information which is transcribed below:

“ However, the distinctive role of these vessels was used as construction fill to be lighter than stone and brick. With its globular body and cooked through, offered a strong and lightweight material which was widely used to fill the vaults of the roofs of many churches and other buildings in the Caribbean. Have seen examples in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, has been reported several in Cuba, and there may be more. In addition, it is said to have been used on the walls of churches in the Dominican Republic (Church of St. Nicholas, Santo Domingo), and under the floors of churches and other buildings in Cuba. Modern scholars believe that the reason for these last two uses was to create better acoustic qualities, its use under the floor can help drain them.

Jars have been late style oil (as spun) used as roof finials in Santiago, Cuba. “ (Ibid, 16-17)

Also Avery (1994: 103) states that:

“Secondary use of Spanish olive jars include architectural use in building construction as structural support, Primarily in vaulted ceilings. Spanish olive jars Were Also buried in the floors of Structures in Spain to function as a sort of “dehumidifier” …. “[1]

The reuse of the jars in some colonial buildings is a significant variation in the spectrum of possible reuses of the same and is far removed from the design that were created, read commercial containers.

To get detail in our theme we controlled the results of excavations carried out at three sites in Havana city walls, old convents of religious orders, which will be treated initially, each in its specificity, concluding with the generalization of knowledge they bring.

1. CONVENT OF SANTA CLARA.

The areas of the former Convent current headquarters of the National Center for Conservation, Restoration and Museology (CENCREM) have been subjected to numerous archaeological excavations, from which it has obtained a body of information that actually is yet systematic, process in which are committed to the members of the archeology of the center, along with archaeologist Lourdes Dominguez. One of the recurring materials in the archaeological record of the old convent, are, without doubt, the jars, in some cases complete and others in the form of fragments.

In 1998 within the framework of restoring mercy third cloister convent, an excavation was directed by Boris Racso Fernandez Ortega and Luis Martin Lozano, on the premises located at the intersection of Sun and Havana. This area of the convent is mentioned in reports of the archaeologist Lourdes Dominguez as a kitchen area, storage and services in general (unpublished).

As a result of the excavation is located a layer of jars with their mouths downwards, covered with earth fill with lime, which was located on a layer of powdered charcoal. The jars were placed in turn on a solid floor of lime.

The composition of layers in different places like Havana (and in other cities such as Guatemala) is identified in the ethnographic record as a system to control the rise of subsoil moisture to the floors of occupancy and also as a mechanism to cool the atmosphere premises located on them.

In 2000, created CENCREM Archaeology Group and under the direction of archaeologist and Ramon Dacal Moure, in anticipation of the continuation of the restoration work and the damage it could receive, withdrew a total of 47 pitchers remain a number not specified in their location. Of those who withdrew, 44 were classified as belonging to the Late style Goggin (1780-1850), 34 of them are of the form B, and 10 C. Could not be classified 2 jars by their degree of fragmentation and a non of neck or mouth, has a previously unreported subtype, characterized by a body similar to the way C but with a flat bottom, different from those reported by Marken ( op. pg. 83) and James (op. cit. pg. 54). The jars are classified as type C have no marks in any way, however the B form show marks in 15 cases, always in the body of the vessel, one of them painted in red and the remaining fourteen pre-cooking show embossed.

A subsequent study of these jars made by the author of this work has seen fit to specify that the 10 jars of the form C removed from this stratum have the flat bottom that allows these copies are made for walking but by the shape of the vessel and the small size of the base thus achieved, the equilibrium is generally unstable. The act of giving over and flatten the bottom of these jars passed, however, after the turning point when the dough was drier than it should, leaving obvious traces of tampering on the outer surface, keeping the internal shape unchanged . This feature stand, referring to these vessels not only the transatlantic traffic on ships but the intent of using them on floors with storage function.

A common feature of these jars is the presence of numerous distortions and errors in manufacturing, and the various ways in which the marking is resolved clause although it is always the same, allowing us to think we are in presence of jars produced in the city and were reused in the building by not serving as containers. This is discussed in greater detail in another author’s work is still unpublished.

As to the date of construction of the third cloister of the monastery, it must have occurred after 1733 (Herrera, 2006: 98) and before the visit of Bishop Morell de Santa Cruz in 1755.

Elsewhere in the convent area, specifically in the south gallery at the west end of the main cloister, was found in 80 of the last century, during the restoration of the building work, a substrate of jars like this to describe, without have detailed information about its characteristics or the surrounding strata, and the fate of the same, although, in the collection kept at the center, there is a group of 18 pitchers incomplete form of the classification C Goggin with smoothed outer surface and metallic glaze inside, sometimes identified as SC-37, which we obtained from this excavation.

2. CONVENT OF OUR LADY OF BELA o/oo N

During the campaign, developed in 2001-2002 by then-resurgent Archaeology Group Company for the Restoration of Monuments, controlled excavations were conducted at three sites of the area’s oldest convent, that is, around the main cloister. The first was the excavation of a pit latrine, located in the basement of the premises immediately after the staircase leading to the upper floor of the sump fill was dated as belonging to the early twentieth century (Arduengo and Saavedra, 2002) , the second excavation was located in the courtyard behind the main cloister, where traces were found of a lean-pole and a box of water and other hydraulic structures.

The third excavation was conducted in the west end of the ship that runs south of the main cloister, flat area identified in 1917 as the refectory, with the number 26, near the kitchen 2). On the floor of this place had been dug trenches for the installation of service networks, and covered at the start of excavation, so that the area in question with a minimum of disturbance is reduced to approximately 60% of the floor of the local and subsoil.

The stratification of the field behaved as follows:

1. Stratum very disturbed by the movement of the builders on the same, consisting of construction material waste such as bricks, tiled roofs, tiles and sand, top dressing and soil.

2. Support a floor level, possibly composed of mosaics, fragments of which appear in the previous fill, was composed of mainly sand and top dressing with evidence of lime.

3. Tamping with lime and sand.

4. Cisco level of charcoal.

5. Shards of jars although primarily identified at least one other vessel pot unclassified.

6. Tamping with lime and sand

For the moment we began digging for reference layers of jars that had been located in the Convent of Santa Clara and elsewhere in colonial Havana (Boris Luis Martin Lozano, personal communication, 2001), however, this time it was not the full jars but fragments, and placed first intention, with downward concavity. The fragmentation of the pots did not occur after placement of the jars for the few mouths full of them appearing as part of the stratum were up to the same level as the rest of the pots and the occurrence of the rupture of the same, already being installed, the mouths should appear down (as in Santa Clara, and others) covered by fragments and these in turn superimposed on one another.

The fragments of jars that are excavated stratum belong, according to the classification of Goggin, the middle style (ca. 1580-1780), a classification which was made possible by the mouths and funds. Only one of the fragments was stamped mark parboiling in the body. The date assigned to this layer is about 1720, date of completion of these areas of the convent.

Preliminary results of the study on the production technology of these sherds, held in conjunction with the renowned specialist Irina Joulaleva Anthropology Center CITMA, and were made with binocular microscope to observe the characteristics of the ceramic and surface work, both internally and externally, support the view that a significant proportion of these were produced as part of an attempt to develop an indigenous ceramic industry, perhaps associated with the activity of the convent itself, or some pottery habanero, which seen mainly in use in a number of fragments of alkaline glaze, which is remarkable in the variety of the final result from some where the granularity of the glaze is very high to others where it reaches a smooth surface, in all cases not observable eye. In other types of metal polish used is also seen notable difference in quality achieved, allowing us to suggest that we are witnessing an effort to develop an indigenous product, but the opinion of the specialist glazing Jouraleva is that this metal may be in some cases of Mexican origin, which supports as compared to other enamel pieces from this source had previously studied.

This figure is certainly a new report from the possible production of the jars out of the Spanish context. In this context involved at least no ordinary piece of pottery belonging to a pot, it is a jar with evidence of paint on its outer surface, and a rather poor cooking which is evidenced by the leathery sound it produces when struck just as despicable in their pasta as tempered observed grain shells.

3. CONVENT OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

In the campaign of 1994 carried out by the Office of Archaeology of the Office of the Historian of the City, there was a controlled excavation under the floor level of the choir loft of the Church of the Convent. The choir consists of two contiguous sections are supported in eight shells. Refer to the information below is taken from the article by Jorge Brito Niz, “Archaeological excavation of the convent church of San Francisco de Asis”, published in the Bulletin No. 1 of Archeology of the Office of the Historian of the City , 2001.

The ceramic elements are usually found filling these scallops, from the jars and sugar lasts until the smaller ones like plates in areas where the stratum is less high.

STRATIFICATION

1. Slabs hydraulic (Republican Period)

2. Lime mortar to support the above.

3. Lime mortar to support previous floor tiles.

4. Tables and wooden beams

5. Gravel and lime mortar

6. Ceramics

These elements have the property that, being such as the ceramics are highly resistant to the loads are both very light to create voids, which was achieved by reducing the weight of the filling of the scallops without reducing the strength of the . The urgent need for this type of filling has been referred to the excellent acoustics that provide enclosed spaces such as the convent church, but a practical and powerful reason is the need to reduce the structural weight on the arches that support the floor, being in the presence of the church was rebuilt in the eighteenth century on lands that were shaky, literally stolen the sea.

Similar have been found stuffed in the church of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi and the Chapel of Remedios, where jars were used early style, both in the Dominican Republic and in the convent of San Jeronimo in Mexico City

The jars excavated in the convent as a filling for the scallops do not appear in the published report classified as belonging to any style. The truth is that the ceramic material has generally been classified as belonging to the eighteenth century. The date on which this construction took place was between the years 1730-1738.

Several pitchers have incised marks on the body of pre-cooking pots, one coinciding with marks on bottles of Santa Clara and the only one labeled fragment of Bethlehem.

CONCLUSIONS

* The layers of jars, as found in the kitchen area of the third cloister of the old convent of Santa Clara of Assisi, function as systems to control the capillary rise of subsoil moisture. It is also possible to reuse mean that the possibility to cool the hottest time of the specific local environment, to evaporate the water collected initially in the form of vapor inside the jars during the morning (Alicia Garcia Santana, personal communication), statement that does not exclude the former. These two statements appear endorsed by the opinion of many archaeologists and architects of Havana, we found no literature confirmation to substantiate and explain the operation of these strata.

* Strata fragments of jars were used for the same purpose as those of full jars in an attempt to cut costs and give workshops use waste production of ceramics, most likely local. This occurs in the former convent of Our Lady of Bethlehem in an area identified as the refectory of the convent.

* In the two cases above, the layers of jars or their fragments appear to be linked to places where they are located kitchens, food stores and dining halls or dining halls, places where it was necessary to maintain a humidity control more stringent conservation food, eliminating the ascent of moisture from the subsoil, but in the other uncontrolled excavation referred to the former convent of Poor Clares, occurred in a gallery of the main cloister, which makes us think that the creation of these control mechanisms jars were referred to the subsoil moisture, regardless of the specific requirements of the premises located on them.

* The jars are part of the filling of scallops in the choir loft of the Church of the Convent of St. Francis of Assisi to lighten the loads on the structure of the church. This has been reported at least in the case of the Capilla de los Remedios in the Dominican Republic where it is used early style pitchers as rated by Goggin, true that without handles (Esteban Prieto Vicioso, personal communication, 2006).

* One of the marks incised precooking matches found in the jars found in the three sites studied, we identify two styles, the Middle and Late Goggin classification, which establishes a familiarity in the same time indicating the coexistence and reinforces the thesis of James (op. cit.) that both styles are produced simultaneously.

* The three cases studied here confirm the re-use the jars from the first half of the eighteenth century, colonial buildings Havana with more than one possible reuse.

* In the former convent of Santa Clara of Assisi, we report the presence of a form of pitchers not mentioned above, flat bottom, different from those reported by Marken (Op. Cit. Pg. 83) and James (op. cit. pg. 54), represented by a single copy.

REFERENCES

* Arduengo Garcia, Darwin A. “Study of the collection of jars of the old Convent of Santa Clara of Assisi in Old Havana.” Unpublished.

* Arduengo Garcia, Darwin A. and Irina Jouraleva “Initial study of fragments of jars in the former convent of Bethlehem. Local production “Unpublished.

* Arduengo Garcia, Darwin A. and Lourdes Dominguez. The former convent of Santa Clara de Asis in Habana Vieja. 47 years of archaeological research. (Unpublished)

* Arduengo Garcia, Darwin A., Yecel Saavedra. (2002) “Progress Report on the excavation of a latrine in the Convent of Bethlehem.” Numismatic Bulletin No.2 April-June, 18-20 Numismatic Museum, Havana.

* Avery, George. (1997) Pots as Packaging: The Spanish Olive Jar and Andalusian Transatlantic Commercial Activity, 16th-18th Centuries. A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida, Gainesville. Unpublished.

* Niz Brito, Jorge. (2001) “Archaeological excavation of the convent church of St. Francis of Assisi.” Archeology. Year 1 Issue No. 1: 14-21. Havana, Cuba.

* Casimir Brizuela, Alvaro M. (2002) “The Well of Homes pitchers Thierry (Old Panama). Initial typological proposal edges “Archaeology of Panama La Vieja. Research advances. 134-154 Patronato Panama Viejo, Panama.

* Capablanca, Maya. (2001) “Extraction and Classification of the jars found in the Third Faculty of Santa Clara of Assisi.” Poster participant in the Fifth International Congress on Cultural Heritage: Context and Conservation. CENCREM

* Carruthers, Clive. (2003) “Spanish Botijas or Olive Jars from the Santo Domingo Monastery, Guatemala.” Historical Archaeology 37 (4): 40-55.

* Deagan, Kathleen. (1987) Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean: 1500-1800. Vol I. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, Washington DC.

* Goggin, John. (1980) “The Spanish oil jug. Introducing Study. “Casas Reales. Organ of the Royal Houses Museum. Year V. 11: 9-67. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

* James, Stephen R. Jr. (1988) “A Reassessment of the Chronological and Typological Framework of the Spanish Olive Jar.” Historical Archaeology 22 (1): 43-66.

* Marken, Mitchell W. (1994) “Pottery from Spanish Shipwrecks. 1500-1800. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

* Schavelzon, Daniel. (2001) catalog historical Pottery Buenos Aires (XVI-XIX). With notes on the region of the Rio de la Plata. CD-ROM.

[1] “Secondary uses of Spanish olive jars include its use in architecture in the construction of buildings for structural support, mainly in vaulted ceilings. Spanish olive jars were also buried in the soil structure in Spain to work as a kind of “dehumidifiers” … “(translation mine)