Interpretive Guide to the Ribera House

I. Statement of Objectives
In Ribera Houe we will inform the visitor about
.. The basic characteristics of vernacular St. Augustine
architecture of OtheFirst Spanish Period, as illustrated
by the Ribera House.
T. The composition and role of the upper class in Spanish
St. Augustine., "

-II./, History of the Site

The date the, house was constructed 0iunknown, but it was
sometime prior to 1763. Do not believe the plaque under
the stairs, which indicates construction date in the
1730's. There is ,o -ay of knowing ths.
B. The owner in 1765 was an artilleryman named Juan de, Rivera
1. Was an Indian, native of the mission village of
Tolomato (which stood where 'the old cemetery
on Cor ova Street, s located.)
Was an artilleryman in the garrison
Married Lorenza Ramos, a Canary Islander, about 1761.
S4, Died in tuba in 1772.
C. The house was demolished during (the Britsh Period, probably"
around 777.
p. Most likely, Rivera was not the original owner. The
/ house seems to have been an 0ol one to which Rivera
Made additions or repairs. ,
E. There 4s simply not enough information to tell much about
the history of the house.
O9MMENT:/ Obviously, we cannot interpret this elegant reconstruction
\ as the house of a poor artilleryman who was'an Indian tO boot. For
this reason, ignore Juan de Rivera in your interpretation. If asked
who he was, simply say tht he was'ie owner of the property in 1763,
at the end of the First Spanish Period. Stress that we are iner- "
preting these sites in representational way, not as the properties, c
'real individuals.




-2-
IIII. The House ,'
A. Is a reconstruction, erected in 1964 by St. Augustine
Restoration Foundation, Inc.
B. Is built over the foundations of the original Ribera
House, so it conforms in dimensions and floot plan to
the original. -The width of the foundations indicated
that the original building had two stories.
S C. Is built of coquinia. Coquina;
/ I. ,Is a type of limestone formed of compacted sea shells.
2. Is found in large deposits along the northeast-
coast of Florida.
i3. Was used in the construction of the-Castillo de San
Marcos.
S4. After 1702 was commonly used in houses.
D/ D Is plastered inside and out to provide a smooth, easily, i
cleaned surface and to reduce the absorption of water ,
by the walls. This was a typical practice. Walls were
whitewashed on a regular basis

IV. The Architecture -
A'. Built on the "St. Augustine plan." Characteristics of
that plan are:..
1. Two or more rooms
2. 'A loggia along one side, usually the east or south
side. A loggia

S. Is an open-sided d oom built into or projecting
from the side of the buildi1 g Atrue loggia
has at' least ,two solid walis.
b b Provides extra living and work space..
c. Makes the house more comfortable, especially
if it is located on the south side.
1.) In winter, when the sun is low in the
southern sky, theloggia is warmed by sunlight
..) In summer, when the sun is high, the loggia
is shady and open to the cooling southeast
.ocean breezes.

B. Has no windows in the north wall. This is to keeP out the
/ chill northerly winds of winter. Openings, to the houses
Are from thewest, ast and ;sotith- -the directions of ,pring
and, *ummer breezes.- .





-3-
C. Has no window lass, the openings being protecteA by wooden
shutters that open to the inside (not to the outside, as
does the standard Anglo-American shutter).
1. Window glass was rare in First-Spanish-Period houses.
-2. Glass did not become common until the British Period
3. Street windows are protected by a grating, called
a re1a. This gave both protection and privacy. \
SWomen could sit in the window andlook out yet be
shielded frpm public view.
D. Lacks a fireplace -

1. Fireplac es were also rare in' First-Spanish-Perizod
dwellings. They became common, only during the ,
British Period '
2. For heating their rooms, the Spaniards used braziers,
or braseros (pahs of hot coals), a device commonly
j used in Mediterranean cultures. Its' use was a matter
of cultural preference. See ekampler in frbnt room
downstairs. '
(Brasero is pronounced brah-say- roh).
S E.) Has no door opening onto the street.

1. This was .typical
2., Most houses were entered, from'the patio.
F.\ Has an outside stairway, another, typical feature, and a
galley ry on the second floor that corresponds to the loggia
below. "
G. Has a flat,masonry rbof. This was known as 'an azotea
S(ah-sbh-tay-ah).
H. Features some doors and shutters that are 19th-century
'antiques.
I. 'Has a detached masonry kitchen /
1. Is biuit on the fqundatibns of the 18th century kitchen
2 J Is removed from the house t
a. Eliminate danger of fire

--' Keep smoke and coOkiing odors out o0f living area
S 3. s a common though not -univetsal, Featre of 18th-
century houses.





C -4-

iInterpretive Note: In most of its architectural features, the
kibera House resembles the humble Gallegos House across the street.
It-is distinguished by being larger, more solid, and more elegant.

V. Use of Space

A. There is more differentiation and specialization in the
use of space in this house than in the Gallegos House.

B. In the present exhibit, the east room downstairs is\
furnished as an office, as if the owner were a well-to-do
merchant .
C., The west room downstairs is arranged as a dining room.
This is one place the family would normally gather on the
lower floor.

D. The upstairs rooms and loggia area comprise the living
quarters of the family. Here the women would have spent
most of their hours at domestic activities.

V. The Upper Status Elements in St. Augustine
A. The Ribera House should be interpreted as representative
of the dwelling of an upper status family of the late
First Spanish Period.
B. The upper class people in St, Augustine consisted of
1. Those who enjoyed rank and position
a. The governor and royal officials (i.e. the
Accountant and the treasurer)
b. The officers of the garrison, particularly
the sergeant-major, the captains,'ensigns,
Sand lieutenants. (See ^outline of St. Augustine
in the First Spanish Period, part 1,-pages 8 9.)
S 2 Those who commanded greater than average wealth
a. Included those noted above
b. Also included a few relatively well-to-do merchants
1.) Owned their own ships
2.) Traded with Cuba, Mexico, and English
J colonies north of Florida

3.) Brought in food, cloth(and ma y items that
were not available though' the situado, e.g.
r sugar, honey, tobacco, rum, ceramic ware.







C. Family, connections were also important determinants of_
Sstatus. Certain families, such as the Menendez Marques,
lor ruytiner, and de Hita Salazar, regularly held important
Sports and commanded great respect, (the names 7re pronounce(
May-nen-Aes Ma0-kess', 0-ruy-tee-ner, and Day Ee'-tah
Sa-la-sr)

D. 'We can safely say that position and family counted for
more on the scale of status than wealth.
E. Upper class; individuals and families usually owned one or
more slaves. '

1. Slaves
a. Helped work in the Tields} surrounding St. Augustine

b. Provided domestic service.
2. Consequently, the women of this social (group probably
bore fewer burdens of a, domestic nature and would have
had time to do needlework of the type displayed upstair

VII. The Furnishings
A. None of the items in the house are original to St. 4gustinr
In fact, there is no furniture known anywhere that tan be
documented as having been here in the late First Spanish
Period.,
B. Most of the pieces were purchased in Spain, the rest in
Latin America. Most are antiques, but of the 19th, npt-the
18th, century. Stylistically, however, there is not that
much difference- between vernacular furniture of the two
periods,- owing to the strong conservatism of Spanish
furniture-makers. ,

C. The type bf furniture, its placement and use, are quite
-typically Hispanic. Chests and trunks are the predominant
Pieces. They could be used for storage, for seating, and
for table space.
D. Some of the outstanding pieces about which you may be
questioned are:
1. East room downstairs
a. Brazier (brasero) a heating device. Hot '
coals from the kitchen are placed in the pan,-
around which people/sit to warmth their hands and
feet. ,The typical heating device used in the -
First Spanish period, the brazier was 'still being
used by MinOreans in St. Augustine as late as
the mid-19th century.





.~a.


e. The statuette on the vargueno is called a santo
(sahn-toh), or saint. Most Spanish familiesiTad
images of popular saints whom they invoked for aid
or protection. The image was usually that of one's
individual patron saint, of the patron of one's trade
or profession, or of a saint that the family, for one.--
reason or another, particularly venerated. Unfortunately)
this particular one is unidentified.


2. Dining Room


a. Table although large and heavy, it is easily taken
apart for portability. Probablytoo fancy for a frontier
settlement..
b. Alacena (ah-lah-say-nah) 4 large cupboard. Has
upper and lower doors on each side. Another of the
few 18th-century pieces, it came from Spain.
c. Carved bowl rack on south Wall. An early-19th century
Spanish piece.
d. "Portrait of Jose Maria de Cabrera y Estenzor as a
Child,: by Manuel Serna,' 1757. (North wall.) The/
writing on the ,cartouche reads, 'Portrait of Se'iir
Don'Joseph Maria de Cabrera y EStenzor, age 4 years
and 13 days born 1 April 1757 and died on the 13th of
said month in 1758 (sic)s." (Paintings are found in the
few upper-class estaWt'inventories that have survived)


e. "Madonna with Saints," artist unknown, 18th century.
Was acquired in Cuzco, Peru.
f. Ceramic bowls other examples of maj9lica ware, the
classic tin-glazed earthenware of Spain and Mexico.
3. Kitchen 7
a. The double rollers are for kneading bread dough.
(From Spain--19th century.)^ ,
b. The rack on the north wall next to the stove isj for
storing plates.


-/


b. Vargueno (vahr-gain-yoh) a distinctively Spanish
drop- frot desk, detachable from its base, with
handles on-the side for easy portability. /
c. Table,- one of the few 18th-centuiy items.
d. Ceramic basin white majolica (mah-jol-li-cah)
ware (tin-glaze earthenware). A typical Hispanic
ceramic form. 18th Century.


,~\ \

"V





-7-


C".















h.


OGG/bg
6/77


The carved, wooden piece bn top of the two wooden buckets
is a yoke for carrying them.

The 1hng-handled pot ,hanging from the decorative rack on
the west wa11' near the stove is a chocolate pot. The
wooden device in it is a molinillo (moh-lee-nee-voh), or,
muddler, a type of stirring stick for whipping the hot
chocolate.- I

The spear-like instrument standing in the southwest corner
is an eel gig.

The device hanging from a chain over the old table is an
oillamp.

iThe three-legged wooden vessel on the floor is a laundry
trough.

The lattice-front cupboard (alacena) is an 18th-century
Spanish piece. -


\
A



K>