Attitudes Towards Death on the Edge of the Spanish Empire at the End of the 16th Century.

SENATORE MX; ME DE NIGRIS,; RA GUICHÓN; P PALOMBO

Sacramento. California. USA.

Congreso; Annual Meeting Historical and Underwater archaeology.; 2006

Society for Historical Archaeology

The project of fortifying the Magallan Strait became one of the most tragic stories in the Spanish Colonization of America at the end of the 16th century. This paper presents the first archeological study of the cementery of Ciudad del Nombre de Jesus, one of the two towns settled in 1584 in the Magellan Strait. Over 300 settlers were landed at he very end of South America by Sarmiento de Bamboa who was in charge of the expedition of these there was only one survivor. Death in the Magellan Strait is approached from both written documents and the material culture. Narratives by two of the main characters are analysed: Sarmiento de Gamboa´s report before his return to Spain in 1590 and the only suvivors report written en request of the Viceroy of Peru in 1620.