The Archaeology of Maryland Indians at St. Mary’s City and the Interactions of Cultures

Although long recognized as Maryland’s first capital, the site of St. Mary’s City also holds a wealth of archaeological evidence spanning over 10,000 years of Native American life. This long record is summarized with attention focused upon the settlement called Yaocomico that was inhabited in the early seventeenth century. It was at Yaocomico that the newly arrived English colonists first came into sustained encounter with Native people. In a remarkable situation, it was negotiated that half the town was given to the settlers while the Yaocomico continued residing in the other half until the corn harvest. From this peaceful beginning, the interaction between Maryland Indians and the English is briefly traced over the next 70 years. Attention is given to the material evidence of this interaction, especially Native-made tobacco pipes that are found in quantities on English sites from ca. 1640 until about 1675. Finally, recent work on Maryland Indian sites from the late seventeenth and turn of the eighteenth century is noted.