Date of Award

12-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Applied Archaeology

Department

Anthropology

First Reader/Committee Chair

Des Lauriers, Matthew

Abstract

Seeking a better life, generations of Mexican immigrant families established a thriving community in the landscape surrounded by citrus orchards flanking a stretch of Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad tracks in Redlands, CA. As a series of revitalization projects and developments, Statistical Research Inc. (SRI) conducted archival research from the Smiley library, ethnographic and archaeological investigations to understand better the history of this unstudied ethnic Mexican barrio community near downtown Redlands. The data acquired from the oral history interviews conducted with individuals who lived or had family living in the area provided a more explicit depiction of the artifacts recovered from the sites. The incorporation of ethnography and archaeology into this thesis will elucidate the communal structures, familial relationships, and daily lives of those who lived in the area. The ethnographic addition of the research has brought new meaning to the stories of this community in Redlands. This study aims to understand how the community developed, used, and manipulated available landscape while maintaining agency and practice despite living as a minority in the largely Anglo community of Redlands. The research will show a community of resident’s lasting impact on the greater Redlands community.

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