Dr Steve Lekson presents Mimbres and Paquimé

January 12, 2021 at 5:30 pm MST

(Sign in by 5:25pm)

Zoom ID 545 842 9500

Mimbres and Paquimé

by

Dr Steve Lekson

At 1100, there were at least 5,000 people in the Mimbres region. By 1200, there were almost none. At 1250, at Casas Grandes 150 mile to the south of Mimbres, the Medio phase begins with an apparent population explosion which grew to many thousands of people. Despite the time gap from 1150 to 1250, changes in material culture, and dramatic developments in socio- political structure, much compelling evidence suggests that Mimbres moved to Casas Grandes and contributed to the base population of Paquimé. We review the evidence, and the implications for the history of the ancient Southwest.

Dr Steve Lekson is Curator of Archaeology, Emeritus, at the Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder (retired Dec. 2018). He received his PhD from the University of New Mexico in 1988, and held research, curatorial, or administrative positions with University of Tennessee, Eastern New Mexico University, National Park Service, Arizona State Museum, Museum of New Mexico, and Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. Dr Lekson directed more than twenty archaeological projects throughout the Southwest including excavations at Pinnacle Ruin in central New Mexico (2000-2008), at Chimney Rock in southern Colorado (2009), and at Black Mountain and Woodrow ruins in southwestern New Mexico (2010-13). He was editor of the journal Kiva (2006-2011) and he is currently Contributing Editor for Archaeology magazine. Lekson's publications include a dozen peer-reviewed books, ninety chapters in edited volumes, forty-five articles in journals and magazines, and many technical reports. Recent books: A Study of Southwestern Archaeology (2018), Chaco Meridian (2015), and A History of the Ancient Southwest (2009). He curated many exhibits, most recently “A History of the Ancient Southwest” (2013-2014) at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.