Postclassic Mimbres Hamlets

Hamlets had fluid populations - some people moved in while others moved out. As diverse people interacted, a variety of pottery styles, cooking hearths and grinding features were made and used.

These Postclassic pots are evidence of cultural influences from other regions: St. John's Polychrome (below) is associated with a region to the northwest; Chupadero (above) to the northeast; and El Paso Polychrome (on the left) to the southeast of the Mimbres region.

The populations of Postclassic Mimbres hamlets were so small that people looked beyond their communities and even beyond the Mimbres region to:

• find suitable marriage partners
• establish friendships and trade relations
• carry out ritual cycles
• gain access to new land

Postclassic social networks were very different from the inward focused Classic Mimbres
villages where, from one household to the next, everyone used the same kind of
cooking hearth, grinding tools, and pottery.