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Earliest Utilization of Chicken in Upper California: The Zooarchaeology of Avian Remains from the San Diego Royal Presidio

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2020

Aharon Sasson*
Affiliation:
San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory, Department of Birds and Mammals, San Diego Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 121390, San Diego, CA92112-1390, USA
Susan Arter
Affiliation:
San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory, Department of Birds and Mammals, San Diego Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 121390, San Diego, CA92112-1390, USA
*
(asasson@sdnhm.org, corresponding author)

Abstract

The San Diego Presidio, established in AD 1769, was the first European settlement in Upper California. Very little is known about chicken husbandry in colonial America, which makes this study the first comprehensive analysis of chicken remains in North America. Chickens are scarcely mentioned in historical accounts describing early California, and information on their sex, age, or management is rare. The faunal assemblage from the San Diego Presidio yielded 20 avian and 14 mammalian species. Chicken remains were studied through a wide range of zooarchaeological methods, including taphonomy, biometry, medullary bone, epiphyseal fusion, butchering, and body-part representation. Taphonomic analysis indicates good preservation of the bone assemblage. The biometric study points to two breeds of chickens: a smaller (bantam) breed alongside a standard-size chicken. The percentage of juvenile chickens (23%), the rooster/hen ratio (1:8.5), and high proportion of medullary bone point to on-site chicken husbandry focusing on meat and egg production. The historical record suggests that California presidios were not self-sufficient and that they relied on food provisioned from Mexico and nearby missions. We argue that small-scale poultry production, likely managed by women and children, provided California presidios with a form of subsistence independence.

El Presidio de San Diego, establecido en 1769, fue el primer asentamiento Europeo en la Alta California. El record histórico siguiere que los presidios de California no eran autosuficiente y necesitaban subministro alimenticio de México y las misiones cercanas. Sin embargo, muy poco se conoce sobre la crianza de pollos en la América colonial. Este es el primer estudio comprensivo analizando restos de pollo en Norte América. Los pollos son raramente mencionados en acontecimientos históricos describiendo a la temprana California e información de su sexo, edad, o mantención es rara. La colección de fauna del Presidio de San Diego produjo especies de 20 aves y 14 mamíferos. Los restos de pollos fueron estudiados usando una amplia gama de métodos zooarqueológicos incluyendo tafonomía, biometría, hueso medular, fusión de epífisis, carnicería y representación de las partes del cuerpo. El análisis tafonómico, indico una buena preservación de la colección de huesos. El estudio biométrico apunta a dos razas de pollos, la pequeña raza (Bantam) junto a pollos de tamaño estándar. La proporción de pollos juveniles (23%), la proporción de gallo/gallina (1:8.5), y la alta proporción de hueso medular apunta a la crianza de pollos en sitio, enfocándose en la producción de carne y huevo. Argumentamos que la producción de pollos a escala pequeña, probablemente practicado por mujeres y niños, proporciono a los presidios de California con una forma de subsistencia independiente.

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Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by the Society for American Archaeology

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