One of the most spectacular pottery traditions in the American southwest began about a thousand years ago in southwestern New Mexico. This pottery tradition, called Mimbres by archaeologists, includes painted ceremonial bowls which are adorned with geometric and pictorial designs. The images are precisely drawn and there is almost photographic accuracy in the portrayal of some of the figures. The pottery includes detailed portraits of animals, birds, insects, daily life, mythical figures, and people.
The Mimbres tradition, classified as a part of the larger Mogollon culture, was centered in the Mimbres Valley. It encompassed the upper Gila River and part of the upper San Francisco River.
In the Mimbres burials, the ceremonial pots were “killed” by poking a small hole in the base and then placing it on the head of the deceased. The ritual killing of the bowl frees the spirit of the bowl so that it may accompany the deceased person with whom it is buried. The wear marks on the funerary bowls show that they had actually been used: they were not simply made for ceremonial use.
The Early Mimbres pottery (dated 825-1000 CE) is a black-on-white pottery, called Boldface Black-on-White, which is characterized by bold geometric designs. There are relatively few human and animal figures during the early period. The Classic Mimbres pottery (dating after about 1000 CE) has elaborate geometric designs with fine linework. The images of animals, humans, and mythical beings are often bounded by simple rim bands or by geometic decoration.
Mimbres pots are coiled: that is, they were initially built up with coils of clay which was then smoothed. They did not use a pottery wheel. The designs were then painted on using long brushes made from the fibers of the yucca plant.
Birds and fish were commonly featured on Mimbres pottery. There are images showing turkeys feeding on insects, and a man trapping birds in a garden. The animals portrayed on the Mimbres pots include bats, bighorn sheep, turtles, frogs, bears, deer, lizards, and rabbits. The human activities shown on the pots include coitus.
Mimbres people lived in single-story pueblos with as many as 150 rooms. The pueblos were built of river pebbles and adobe and often included an open plaza. Ceremonial structures included semi-subterranean kivas. Some of the kivas contain features such as footdrums. The larger sites are generally located near wide areas of well-watered floodplains which provided an area for agriculture. There were also some smaller villages in the upland areas.
Like many of the other people living in the southwest at this time, the Mimbres people were farmers who raised a variety of crops, including corn and beans. Mimbres agriculture used irrigation systems which were inspired by the Hohokam in central Arizona.
At this time, the wild game, such as deer and elk, which had been an important part of the subsistence of their ancestors, was now nearly depleted. This increased the Mimbres’ dependence upon agriculture for survival. They continued to gather wild foods, including pine nuts, prickly pears, and wild tomatoes.
With regard to trade, the Mimbres were trading with both the Hohokam to the west and Ancestral Puebloans to the north. They also maintained strong trading ties with Mexico. Mimbres sites contain the remains of scarlet macaws. These birds, which were sacrificed during springtime rituals, were imported from the tropics of southern Mexico and Central America.
By 1140 CE, rainfall in southwestern New Mexico was becoming less dependable. As a result, it was more difficult for their agriculture to sustain them and the Mimbres people began to abandon their large villages. While there is depopulation in the Mimbres Valley, Indian people continue to live in the area. However, both the pottery and the architectural styles are similar to those of the neighboring areas.
Cross Posted at Native American Netroots
An ongoing series sponsored by the Native American Netroots team focusing on the current issues faced by American Indian Tribes and current solutions to those issues.