THE SAN GABRIEL MISSION

ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE

HOW TO BE SAFE AT THE SITE

� DO NOT wear Red or Green - these are signals to the train.

� DO wear sturdy shoes.

� DO cover your ears when a train is coming.

� DO stay inside the cones.

� DO follow the path to the viewing platform.

WHAT WILL YOU SEE AT THE SITE?

What’s an

archeologist?

What do they

do?

Why do we

need them?

� Archeologists at work!

� …but that isn’t:

Treasure Hunter

PalentologistsOnly Digs Tombs

WHAT WILL YOU SEE AT THE SITE?

What is an

archeologist?

What do they

do?

Why do we

need them?

� Archeologists at work!

� Archeologists study

the human past.

� Culture

� Behavior

WHAT IS AN ARCHEOLOGIST?

� Study past humans

� Study artifacts

� Search for any type of

artifact

� Excavate any site

� Study animals

� Study fossils

� Search only for

treasure

� Excavate only tombs

ARCHEOLOGISTS DO… ARCHEOLOGISTS DON’T…

TERMS TO KNOW…

TERMS TO

KNOW:

Artifact

Fossil

Site

� Fossils: are the remains of plants or

animals that are preserved in the

earth’s crust

� Artifacts: are objects that are made or

used by people

� Site: is a geographic location where

there is evidence of past human

habitation

This site is where we can see evidence of the Gabrielino-Tongva people, the

Spanish, the early settlers, and the beginnings of the City of San Gabriel.

THIS IS THE SITE THAT YOU WILL VISIT

WHAT WORK IS BEING DONE?

Research

starts with

asking

questions that

Archeologists

hope to

answer.

� Formulate Research Questions.

� When was this site first occupied? Is there

evidence of the Tongva village of

Shevaanga?

� Which artifacts belong only to the

Tongva? Which artifacts are a mix of the

Tongva and Spanish?

� Aside from gardening…what other

activities took place here?

WHAT WORK IS BEING DONE?

Field work is

going to

explore a site

first hand to

search for

artifacts.

� Field Work

Survey and Map the Site

Excavate the Site

WHAT WORK IS BEING DONE?

Small amounts of soil are excavated at a time.

Work is done carefully with shovels and brushes.

When an artifact is found, digging stops and recording starts.

WHAT WORK IS BEING DONE?

Usually, you

only see the

work that

archeologists

do once it is is

a MUSEUM.

(Like at the

Mission

Museum)

� Lab Work

� Artifacts are taken back to a lab for

analysis.

� Curation

� Once artifacts have been studied, they

are taken to a Museum.

One last thing to look for…The Layers

of Time (Strata)

� Strata are layers of soil that have

built up over time. The deeper you dig

the older things are.

Preschool: Little People Toys

1st Grade: Duplo Legos

Now: Complicated Lego SetsPRESENT

PAST

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THIS VISIT?

The excavation of this site is only going to

last a few weeks. Once the artifacts are

moved to a lab, work will begin to lower the

train tracks.

Once the train tracks are lowered,

you won’t see trains above ground

and our chance to study what is

below ground will be over.