Lecture – The Mystery of Hochelaga, Seen Through the Lens of Archaeology

Where was Hochelaga located?

Get to the heart of one of the greatest mysteries in Montréal’s history. On October 2, 1535, Jacques Cartier set foot on the Island of Montréal and discovered a vast Iroquoian village: Hochelaga. Its exact location and layout remain a fascinating enigma and the subject of much debate to this day. This lecture invites you to revisit this meeting of two worlds through the latest archaeological data, while also opening a door onto the future of research conducted with Iroquoian nations, in a spirit of decolonization and reconciliation. A unique opportunity to rediscover Montréal from a perspective both captivating and essential.

Christian Gates St-Pierre

Christian Gates St-Pierre is an archaeologist and associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Université de Montréal. His work focuses primarily on the archaeology of Québec’s Indigenous peoples, particularly the study of diet, social interactions, and bone and ceramic artifacts. He is also interested in ethical issues in archaeology, the decolonization of research, and the protection of archaeological heritage. He is Vice-President of the Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal, heads an archaeological field school in the Outaouais region, and co-leads a new collaborative and multidisciplinary research project on the history, languages, and knowledge of the Iroquoian peoples.

This lecture is presented by the Société historique de Montréal.