The 1970s also marked the initiation of programs that concentrated on rural sites and regional landscapes in areas occupied by English, Dutch, African, and French colonists. The impetus for these efforts was often provided initially by historical architects in the region, working with international and national historic preservation organizations such as the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Between 1978 and 1982 historic preservation architects and archaeologists from throughout the Caribbean, coordinated by Eugenio Pérez Montás of the Dominican Republic, worked on the development of a region-wide plan for historic preservation. Plan CARIMOS (Plan for Monuments and Sites in the Wider Caribbean) was formalized at the University of Florida in 1982, with its seat established in Santo Domingo. Since that time, CARIMOS, working with the OAS, UNESCO,ICOMOS, and the University of Florida’s Preservation Institute–Caribbean (PIC) has been an important force in the intensification and diversification of historical archaeology throughout the Caribbean. (For summaries of CARIMOS activities see Pérez Montás 1991.)

Underwater Archaeology

Much of the marine archaeology during the period from 1970 to 1990 also developed in the context of the management of resources for public interpretation and, with the exception of Port Royal, was dominated by shipwrecks of the Spanish treasure fleets and explorers (see Burgess and Clausen 1982; Borrell 1983; Marx and Marx 1993; Smith 1993). The necessity for protecting underwater resources and developing a broad base of public support for noncommercial marine archaeology led to programs of site protection and public interpretation throughout the region. In some areas, such as the Dominican Republic and Florida, a significant part of underwater archaeology was carried out through joint efforts between private salvers, recreational sport divers, and government archaeological agencies. The Comisión de Rescate Arqueólogico Submarino was established in the Dominican Republic in 1979 to oversee the management and study of the submerged historic resources of the Dominican Republic. The Comisión, coordinated by Pedro Borrell, worked closely with the Grupo de Investigaciones Submarinas, Inc., a group of professional and avocational divers and archaeologists, and the commercial firm of Caribe Salvage, Inc. to study and interpret many of the vast number of shipwrecks along the country’s north coast (see Borrell 1983). This ongoing effort is still under way.

Florida during this period was the location of some of the earliest underwater historical archaeological parks in the region. The U.S. National Park Service established Fort Jefferson National Monument (today known as Dry Tortugas National Park) near Key West in 1935, and Biscayne National Park in southeast Florida in 1968. Underwater surveys were first undertaken at these sites in 1970 and 1975 by George Fischer of the National Park Service, and continue.

Shipwrecks in Florida were both studied and salvaged (often simultaneously) during this period. Although most of the shipwrecks were investigated by private salvage companies operating under permits issued by the state, academic and governmental research programs increased toward the end of the period. Unlike the initial days of public-private partnerships, the projects of the 1970s and 1980s, such as the excavation of the controversial Atocha, were often conducted by professional marine archaeologists working for private companies (Matthewson 1986). A heated debate over the conduct and ethics of underwater archaeology for commercial purposes was born during the 1970s, centering on the issues of professional methods and the ethics of selling artifacts. The debate remains vigorously unresolved.

The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) at Texas A&M University, through the efforts of George Bass, Donald Keith, and Donny Hamilton, was also an important influence on the development marine archaeology in the Caribbean and in Florida during this period. Through the 1980s INA initiated a series of academic marine survey and study projects in the Caribbean that were intended to illuminate the evolution of ship architecture and maritime economy in the region.