ABSTRACT
The Darien scheme has attracted significant scholarship over the years, on account of the voluminous documentation that survives, both in Scotland, but also in contemporary Spanish sources. An archaeological engagement with the Scots colony provides a perspective that cannot be found in the documents alone. Whilst there are a number of official reports and letters, surprisingly few first-hand eyewitness accounts survive. The archaeological survey attempted to establish if there were any traces of the site of New Edinburgh. In 1979 five test pits were excavated at this putative site, but no Scottish material was found. This chapter discusses how the archaeological evidence throws new light on the colony. It shows how it was organized on the ground, and how it fitted into its wider landscape. The success of the colony depended on three interactions, with that of the natural environment, with the Spanish, and with the indigenous population.
