Twin Pines: Looking Beyond Mimbres Valley

Summary

The Twin Pines site, located in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico, is a large Mimbres site that shows signs of multiple occupational periods spanning the Late Pithouse Phase (AD 550-1000) through the Mimbres Classic phase (AD 1000-1130). On the basis of recent mapping and reconnaissance, the Twin Pines site can provide crucial information about the Mimbres culture. First, it is a large Mimbres site which lies farther north of the extensively studied Mimbres Valley and most other sites of the same period. Investigating the site allows us to understand the interaction and affiliation between the people from Chaco Canyon and the Mimbres areas. Second, the site is a source of several interesting artifacts, including copper bells, a copper effigy, an abundance of turquoise, and obsidian flakes. Tracing these artifacts to their source allows us to understand and reconstruct trade between people in the Upper Gila and other areas in the American Southwest. Finally, the site is of interest because it features rock art panels, which include several mortar holes. Understanding these features allows us to better understand the social landscapes and how people interacted in the Mimbres region.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage