The East Pensacola Heights site (8Es1) on Pensacola Bay was reported as a Native village with two burial mounds by the Smithsonian Institution in 1882 and revisited in1947. The University of West Florida (UWF) stated that the 1559 Spanish Colony led by Tristan de Luna was located at the same site. UWF began excavations there in 2015.
Among the artifacts they found were remains of reddish-colored pottery sherds. UWF stated that the red pottery was Aztec in origin but did not provide proof of that statement. We at Contact Archeology Inc. are exploring the validity of the UWF Aztec pottery claim.
Over 1,000 excavation units have been dug by UWF at the East Pensacola Heights Site. Approximately 70% of the artifacts found are Native in origin and 30% of artifacts are of European origin. A small percentage of the pottery found is red in color.
UWF Excavation Units Are Shown in Black
Red Pottery
According to UWF, Aztec pottery found at the East Pensacola Heights Site is identified by its red color. UWF claims that the presence of the alleged Aztec pottery helps prove that the site is the location of the Spanish Luna Colony of 1559 which left Mexico with Aztec warriors and nobles among the expedition. While the pottery could be Aztec in origin, it has not been proven.
A critical question is how do we know that the pottery is Aztec? What is the proof? How does UWF know that the pottery sherds are Aztec? Have they sent them to Post Classic Aztec pottery specialists? Have they had the pottery thin sectioned for detailed mineral content and analyzed as to the geographical source of the sherds? If UWF has solid proof that the red sherds are Aztec why have they not published it?
From the beginning of their work at this site, UWF has been premature in announcing conclusions without thoroughly examining the data at hand. Scientists cannot allow excitement to cloud objectivity.
The following pages outline the situation by use of photographs of a sample of pottery sherds from the East Pensacola Heights Site and the Central Valley of Mexico.
Red Colored Pottery from the Alleged Luna Colony Site Claimed by UWF to be Aztec in Origin
Native Prehistoric Pottery
Is there a possible alternative source of the red pottery sherds found at the Pensacola Heights Site being other than Aztec in origin? Certain prehistoric and historic Native cultures in the Southeast of the current United States made red pottery. Conclusions cannot be made about the red pottery found at the site until additional testing and analysis is conducted. The photographs shown below illustrate examples of red pottery sherds from Native groups from the Southeast.
True Post Classic Aztec Pottery from the Central Valley of Mexico
(Source: FAMSI © 2006: Christina M. Elson, Aztec Elites and the Post Classic Economy: Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) of Museum Collections from Chiconautla, México with
contributions by: Deborah Nichols and Leslie G. Cecil and Michael D. Glascock.)
Conclusions
The University of West Florida has not verified the identity of the red pottery found at the Pensacola site. Therefore, before the mystery of the red pottery is solved more analyses is imperative. In truth, the origin of the red pottery will not prove or disprove the location of the Luna Colony. Spanish burials, structures, multiple refuse pits, and firehearths are the benchmarks that will identify the Luna Colony …wherever the colony is located.