The Mimbres were a pueblo people who flourished in southwestern New Mexico a thousand years ago. They are best known for their distinctive black, white, and red painted pottery that is characterized by stylized human and animal figures and geometric designs. Mimbres sites have been heavily looted for many years to obtain this pottery for wealthy collectors.
The Mattocks site is one that largely escaped the looting until it was acquired and preserved by the Mimbres Foundation in the 1970s. It consists of about 180 surface rooms from the Classic period (A.D. 1010 to 1130) plus earlier and contemporary pit structures. The authors led excavations at the Mattocks site for five years, and this volume is their final report on that research project.
Richly illustrated with photos, diagrams, and maps, it gives an in-depth account of life at the pueblo and how it developed over time. It is a valuable case study of an important Southwestern culture that is just now beginning to be understood.
