﻿82 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 76 



according to Mr. Judd's observations, are neither plentiful nor greatly 

 diversified, at least in the fall season. Such prehistoric habitations as 

 were visited are small, crudely constructed affairs which suggest tem- 

 porary occupation by small, migratory bands or family groups. Traces 

 of a people older than the cliff-dwellers were observed in several 

 localities ; further research should afford a clearer conception of the 

 cultural development of these two distinct types of cave folk and, at 

 the same time, disclose their relationship to other prehistoric tribes 

 of the great plateau country. 



Several unavoidable factors, however, will tend to limit and restrict 

 exploration of the uninhabited area north of the Rio San Juan. Water 

 is at a premium except in the deeper canyons where seeps and inter- 

 mittent streams may usually be found ; " tanks," or natural reservoirs, 

 do not occur on the broad sandy mesas separating the canyons. All 

 supplies must be transported at least 200 miles by pack mules and 

 quicksand in the narrow gorges is certain to prove troublesome except 

 during the late fall and winter months. 



ARCHEOLOGICAL FIELD-WORK IX NEW MEXICO 



In ]\Iay and June, 1933, Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, chief of the Bureau 

 of American Ethnology, continued his field studies of ceramic decora- 

 tions characteristic of the Mimbres Valley, New Mexico. The wonder- 

 ful picture pottery of this region strikes the attention on account of 

 the geographical position of the valley between ]\Iexico and the pueblo 

 region, and promises to shed light on prehistoric migrations of the 

 southwestern Indians. 



The Mimbres Valley is comparatively limited in extent and its 

 pottery is being rapidly collected and sold as curiosities. In order to 

 ])revent the complete loss to science of this material and to give it a 

 |)ermanent home for future students. Dr. Fewkes obtained by pur- 

 chase about a hundred s])ecimens and added them to the collections 

 of the National MuseuuL The designs on these are as a rule different 

 from those already recorded. The Mimbres ]Mcture potterv (fig. 79) 

 was made by a peoj^le that disappeared in prehistoric times without 

 leaving a documentary trace of language or culture. Archeology is the 

 only guide to its characterization. The ])ictures on these specimens 

 are reproduced in .Smithsonian ^Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 76, 

 No. 8, and in the ])rescnt ])ublication only a few general conclusions 

 are considered. 



Copper deposits in tlie Mimbres ^Mountains first attracted attention 

 of the .S])aniards to this area. Considerable (juanlities of this and other 



