The Plaza de la Constitucion of today isn't necessarily the Plaza of 1598 authorized by the King of Spain.
"What we're starting to find is that we need to re-evaluate what was St. Augustine's earliest plaza like and where was it located," said city archaeologist Carl Halbirt.
The Plaza is the heart of St. Augustine, a place of first and oldest including being the oldest civic gathering spot and the first site of a bull fight in America.
Although the Plaza has been in existence for more than 400 years, it has never been totally excavated. When the City of St. Augustine decided to put in more electrical conduits, the city's archaeology department got a rare chance to further its knowledge in 2009 and 2010 to excavate the central gathering place.
"(What we found) didn't go with perceptions of what the Plaza did and where it had been," Halbirt said.
Charles Tingley with the St. Augustine Historical Society says what's been found has "totally changed how we look at the Plaza."
Possibly most surprising was the discovery of buildings on what was thought to have been an open area.
"We found at least two houses ... one built right on top of the other. And possibly there may have been three sequential houses dating from the late 1500s to the early 1600s," he said.
The rebuilding may have been caused by a series of calamities including an Indian attack in 1576 that destroyed St. Augustine, a raid by English adventurer Sir Francis Drake that destroyed the town and a 1599 hurricane and fire that destroyed the town.
"Within 30 years they may have had to rebuild the structure three times," Halbirt said.
The Plaza apparently was smaller and further back from its current location based on several discoveries including the distribution of 16th century artifacts. The people would have sought the higher elevation portion of the Plaza, which would have been nearer the current Government House Museum.
Probably the "best" find from this excavation was an elaborately detailed silver doublet button found near a post hole near the houses. The quality indicates it belonged to a gentleman, possibly a high government official.
No map has been found of the Plaza area in the 1600s and that is "frustrating," Halbirt said. One way to understand the 1600s is to find the streets from the time. However, that's like looking for a needle in a haystack, he said. "Streets have shifted and we may never have the opportunity to look for them."
The Plaza was "kind of a social hub where very special events were held and where people socialized," Halbirt said. It also was a place of commerce with vendors.
Halbirt doubts the plaza was ever a grazing area although two butchering areas have been found. One pile of bone refuse dating from the 1700s was found where the Confederate Monument is located. Another bone pile dating to the 19th century was found near the Market facing onto Charlotte Street.
While there are plenty of historical documents about the Plaza, the lack of drawings and maps from the earliest days complicates efforts at reconstruction.
"We know from the royal ordinances that the plaza in a coastal community was supposed to be on the bayfront, to be a certain size and around the plaza were supposed to have certain streets laid out according to certain principles. Now that's what the history documents tell us," Halbirt said.
"The archaeology documents what's really buried in the ground. ... It's by utilizing the historic documents and comparing them to the archaeology that you kind of come to a broader understanding of what the earliest Plaza was like."
Spanish plazas were open spaces without trees. That would change after Florida became part of the United States in 1821.
"They had a different mind set as to what the (Plaza) should look like," said Tingley of those who came from the United States. A number of those who moved to St. Augustine were from the North and they were accustomed to fenced town greens with plenty of trees.
"There was a real clash of cultures. They didn't like Carnival (a celebration) and they were infuriated the Spanish market was open on Sundays," Tingley said.
In time those Anglos became the power structure and their ways prevailed, changing the look of the Plaza.
But apparently the natives didn't give up easily. City records show trees had to be planted several times because of vandalism before they finally were allowed to take root.
Take a video journey of an archaeological dig! Click here.
FIND OUT MORE
www.digstaug.org City of St. Augustine site offers a comprehensive look at the archaeology department, what they do and some discoveries through the age.
www.flmnh.ufl.ed/staugustine Florida Museum of Natural History gives timeline on area history, artifacts and additional resources.