portuguese village

Terrain

General Condition

Portuguese village ruins Located in the southern area outside the island of Ayutthaya. in Samphao Lom Subdistrict Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District On the west bank of the Chao Phraya River It is the location of the Portuguese community in the past. The “Portuguese Village” is across the river from the Japanese Village.

From the survey based on evidence from the old map of Ayutthaya. Compared to the characteristics of the present area, it was found that The area around this archaeological site is probably the site of a Jesuit Christian church. The territory is as follows:

North facing, next to people's houses

The south is adjacent to the houses of the people.

East, next to the Chao Phraya River

West side, next to the road

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province is a lowland area and rice field without mountains, approximately 3-5 meters above sea level. About 10,000-3,000 years ago, there was evidence that Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya used to be a sea area. until the deposition of sediments from the sea and rivers until shallow became the land or the Chao Phraya River basin.

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province has 4 rivers flowing through it:the Chao Phraya River, the Pa Sak River, the Lop Buri River and the Noi River. There are also many natural canals and canals such as Khlong Bang Ban, Khlong Bang Luang, Khlong Chao Chet, Khlong Uthai, Khlong Bang Kaeo, Khlong Phra Kru and Khlong Lak Kham, etc.

In addition to appearing canals dug and various natural canals. There is also Rama VI Dam, which is the first dam in Thailand, built in 1916 during the reign of King Rama VI, blocking the Pa Sak River at Tha Luang Subdistrict, Tha Ruea District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Chao Phraya River

Geological conditions

The central plains are caused by the movement of major faults, namely the Mae Ping Fault (almost connected to the Moei Fault), Uttaradit Fault (Nam Pat), and the Three Chedi Fault. from the Late Cretaceous to the Tertiary This is a continuation of the opening of the southern Gulf of Thailand and the formation of the Tertiary Basin in the North and the Upper West, followed by the formation of the North-South fault. Accumulation occurs on land in the form of a fan-shaped sedimentary hill. sedimentary plains, waterways, lakes, and semi-waterways and lakes

geological features Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province Located in the southern central plains Make it deep under the ground of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province It is a source of large pebbles. Gravel and sand are large and rounded. Groundwater accumulates between gaps and grains of pebbles and sand. interspersed with clay layers resulting in multiple layers of groundwater and is a layer of water that spreads widely horizontally has unique hydrogeological properties This is a feature found in most of the groundwater layers of the South Central Plain, that is, each layer of groundwater. There will be a layer of clay under support. and covered on top Classified as groundwater under pressure (Confined aquifer)

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

1984:The Fine Arts Department received a budget from the Gulbengian Foundation. Portugal to conduct archaeological excavations portuguese village From the excavations, more information about the Portuguese relationship with the Kingdom of Siam was obtained. Archaeological evidence found at that time consisted of A large building base and a tomb where many skeletons are buried on top of each other. Demonstrates continued habitation and excavations resulted in research studies by scholars. and to study the stories of the Portuguese more.

Construction of the first church of the Portuguese camp or Portuguese village Occurred after settlement in the southern part of the island of Ayutthaya The treaty made in 1516 during the reign of King Ramathibodi II (Phra Chetthathirat) allowed the Portuguese to establish communities and shops. The Portuguese chose this area because

1. Near the port of Portuguese boats

2. The location of the Portuguese village is similar to a small island located in the middle of the river. caused by apocalyptic Suitable for setting up a warehouse for easy loading and unloading of goods.

3. The location is not far from the mooring point. because they are not familiar with the area.

In 1538, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn officially granted the present plot of land and allowed the construction of a Christian church in Siam. Dominican Church

The structure of the building at the base of the church is granite and the embankment is hit on 3 sides:the north side. south and west because the high and low areas are not equal Beyond the construction of the church, it sits on the highest area of ​​the Portuguese island. The granite that was used to build the base of the church was taken from the sea because oysters were found attached to the rock. the stones are arranged With an average thickness of 60-80 centimeters, the height of the granite stacked together is not the same size. because the level of the original area To the north was found a single-layer granite foundation. while in the south there is no granite base at all. The eastern and western cross-sections of the Portuguese islands are arranged in 5-7 layers of granite, indicating that efforts were made to level the ground.

from the nature of the foundation Brick walls were erected on the foundations with the same thickness and compacted soil was filled at the foundations to further adjust the space inside the building. The compacted soil became a courtyard around the building. which is useful as a cemetery burial in the early stages because the skeleton was found buried in a courtyard that was the same level as the foundation of the building. during the reign of King Naresuan received royal property for use in the renovation and restoration of the church From the remaining building bases, it was found that expansion to the west north and south which covers the former courtyard of the church because there are traces of beams used as the base of the walls on both sides of the wing that are different from the base of the first condominium The eastern part remains the same.

Sometime in 1602 two Franciscan bishops arrived and it was likely that this church was built as the second in a Portuguese village. and a Jesuit church with a bishop who came in 2152 as well

In the late Ayutthaya period in 1696 there was a smallpox epidemic. From the excavations discovered urgent burials and a large number of corpses were overlaid. Some areas of the Dominican Church may be used as burial grounds. with the demolition of the east wall The main functional areas of the church were found to be improved. By adjusting the floor to be higher, using broken bricks, coarse sludge filling down to get the same level. The same is true for the base and beams of a roughly made building. By using the same material but adding another layer of clay tiled over it, in 1767 the Portuguese village collapsed with Ayutthaya.

The Dominican Church has a square layout. Oriented in the east-west direction Facing the Chao Phraya River There are three corridors in the building, each of which is connected to each other. The space inside the building can be divided into 3 parts:

1. The residence of the priest is the back and side parts of the building.

2. Religious Ritual Components is the central part of the building It consisted of three altars and two lower altars with three entrances, two of which opened into the front courtyard. And this area may be the burial ground of the priest.

3. The part that is a hall or a meeting room It is the facade of the building and is where Christians are buried.

Human skeleton

Usually the construction of a Christian church involves a cemetery behind the church. but the church area Cemeteries and spaces in Portuguese villages are limited. Therefore, there is a burial in front of the Dominican Church. From the excavation discovered that The cemetery is located on the east side of the archaeological site. Approximately 200 skeletons were found, indicating that the area on the east side was the front of the church. from the structure and architectural features of the church Facing east which faces the river which is the main transport route.

The skeleton was found buried approximately 1 meter above the soil surface, with Skeleton Number 1 found in the southern archaeological site's doorway. Showing the expansion of the church area came later. by this area Found 200 skeletons. The boundary of the tomb can be divided into 3 parts:

1. The innermost part is buried in the same line in an orderly manner. Most of them turned their heads to the west or onto the altar that housed idols within the church. which is probably the skeleton of the priests Because the priest's body will be buried in the same manner as it used to be when he was alive. because he performs religious rituals in front of the altar facing the devotees and turns his head to the west and burial near the altar because they were close to God. by the bodies of important priests will be buried in the church

2. The center is located next to the bishop's burial to the front or to the east by the burial. This area is definitely bounded by the framing of bricks around it. Although later it will be buried in an overlapping manner in this area. And the bodies buried in this area are likely to have a higher social status than others in the community.

3. The outermost part is at the base of the church. Although the burial and posture of the corpse were in the same order. but from the overlapping of many skeletons And found that this area has a large number of exhumed skeletons overlaid with the frame that had just been buried. This anomaly corresponds to an epidemic of smallpox in the late Ayutthaya period. This is the expanded cemetery section.

Antiques

In addition to the skeletons, artifacts that were buried together with the corpses were also found in the excavations and were found in the excavation and excavation areas, divided into different types.

1. Religious antiques Contains

- Cross, made of glass, bronze and ivory. mostly small Some have inscriptions in Portuguese or Latin.

- Rosary, found as a string placed in the hand or neck of a skeleton. and found some scattered throughout the archaeological site.

- Idol Medal Found in the hands of a skeleton, some found on the chest, the coin symbolizes Christianity. Use it as a pendant or attached to a shirt as a guide.

2.Architectural components Including

- Eaves Tile It is a red tile. The size found is from 13 cm. width, 13-18 cm. height.

- roof tiles a red tile No pattern

- floor tiles It is a red clay tile. There are 3 sizes:small size, 6.7 cm long, 4.2 cm wide, 2.3 cm thick, with 4 holes drilled, medium size, 28 cm long, 25 cm wide, 5 cm thick and large size 34 cm long. . Width 17 cm. Thickness 12 cm. These tiles are domestically produced.

3. Currency consists of premiums and coins of various types. meet the skeleton Pawns are small clam pawns used as currency in exchange for items imported from the Philippines. As for the mint, there are both Thai and foreign coins. As for the Thai coins, they were first produced during the reign of King Rama IV, indicating that there was a settlement of the present-day inhabitants of this area at least before this period. As for foreign coins Both medals from Japan, China and Spain were found, showing the community's contacts with different countries.

4. Utensils consist of utensils made of glass, clay and metal, the glass part is not found with the skeleton. There are both square glass bottles. round, which may be a bottle of liquor used in ceremonies And there are pieces of glassware such as container ears, vases, glass buttons, terracotta lenses, and dolls, both plain and glazed. The pottery has both locally produced and from China, Vietnam. Metals are found made of bronze and iron, such as iron nails, buttons, irons, keys, etc.

5.Jewelry Made of various materials, such as metal, stone, glass, it is mainly used to decorate the body or corpse. To create beauty by finding bracelets, rings, earrings without joining the skeleton.

6. Others, such as tobacco pipes, climbing bullets. There are both Thai, Chinese and European tobacco pipes.