NO. 6 



SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I914 



69 



dence of the existence of several populous villages in what is now 

 an arid desert. Evidently the region formerly had more water than 

 at present, but the reason for its increased aridity and consequent 

 abandonment by the prehistoric villagers was not due to a modifica- 

 tion in climate, but to a change in the bed of the Mimbres River, 

 which, there are reasons to believe, has occurred since the advent of 

 man in that valley. The former course of the river past the now 



National Museum. 



deserted villages can be easily traced, but by some shifting of the 

 soil in its bed the river now flows to the east of the Florida Moun- 

 tains. This change in direction deprived the former inhabitants of 

 villages situated on the west side of the mountains of their supply 

 of water, and caused them to abandon their homes. 



The construction of the prehistoric buildings, as shown by an 

 examination of the photographs of village sites (fig's. 62, 63, 64), 

 indicates that the ancient ruins in the Mimbres region had little 

 resemblance to those of the pueblos in northern New Mexico, but 



