Pushing the Paradigm: The Devotional Medals of El Buen Consejo in a Historical and Archaeological Context

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Elizabeth H. Whitfield (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Devotional medals have a long , but quiet history. With little written about the production , purpose , and distribution of theses religiously themed objects , scholars studying them must piece together bits of information from historical and archaeological sources. Kathleen Deagan (2002) has produced the only work that analyzed and documented medals found on a variety of Spanish colonial sites and shipwrecks , and her study provides a framework for the analysis of similar collections of devotional medals. This thesis conducts an iconographical analysis of a portion of possibly the largest intact collection of devotional medals in existence. It inserts the data generated into Deagan's paradigm , acting as the first significant test of her work. In doing so , it extends the archaeological database , establishes additional patters , and provides a basis for future research. Additionally , this examination demonstrates that religious medals are valuable diagnostic tools that can aid scholars studying the Spanish colonization of the New World.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2005

Keywords

Devotional Medals, El Buen Consejo, Shipwrecks, Archaeology

Subjects

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