Summary of Excavations in Hoping Dao, Keelung, Taiwan

基隆和平島考古挖掘紀要

Archaeological work in Hoping Dao is part of an interdisciplinary research that began in 2010 in order to inquire about the first Spanish presence in the Pacific, since this period has been systematically neglected by archaeological and anthropological studies in the region. For this purpose, we required a combination of three fields: archival research, material culture studies, and archaeological work. Therefore, the latter is fundamental for our research, and specifically in Hoping Dao, due to the foundation here of the Spanish colony of San Salvador de Kelang in the 17th century, which is no doubt a key point in the broader lines of investigation that we are carrying out regarding the interaction between Europeans (Spanish and Dutch in this case) and Pacific and Asia-Pacific populations. Taiwan and in particular our work in Hoping Dao and Keelung is key to implement this new trend of investigation.