4 8 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 63 



majority of the designs. 1 Several geometric designs, as those on the 

 bodies of figures 25 and 26, appear on Sikyatki pottery (see I7th Ann. 

 Rep. Bur. Amer. Ethnol., plate 121) ; others resemble Pueblo symbols 

 of wide distribution, but the majority are unique. The geometric 

 designs on the bodies of life-figures vary with the animal depicted, 

 but the same genus of animals does not always have the geometric 

 figure, although almost identical designs occur on the bodies of 

 different genera. It is recognized that a comparison of designs on 

 Southwestern pottery shows a general uniformity in geometrical pat 

 tern which renders it very difficult to distinguish different local areas 

 of development, and may be the result of more extensive inter- 



FIG. 32. Geometrical figure. (Osborn collection.) 



change of ideas and a greater uniformity of cultural conditions. The 

 pottery of the Mimbres shares with the rest of the Southwest several 

 well-known geometrical designs which no doubt date back to an 

 earlier epoch than the evolution of animal figures, but it also has sev 

 eral decorations of geometrical patterns (fig. 32) that are peculiar to 

 it and which, taken with the characteristic zoic figures, serve to differ 

 entiate it from other local areas. Mimbres pottery as pointed out by 

 others has a general likeness to that from Casas Grandes Valley in 

 Chihuahua, a resemblance which no doubt increases as we follow the 

 river to Lakes Palomas and Guzman. 2 The resemblance is not close 



1 Unfortunately there are few decorated vases represented in the collection, 

 but exploration in the field may later bring many of these to light. 



2 The author brought to Washington fragments of a food bowl from the ruin 

 near Byron Ranch, identical with Casas Grandes ware. 



