THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CLASSIC MIMBRES BLACK-ON-WHITE POTTERY

Because the most abundant and finest quality Classic Mimbres Black-on- white ceramics are associated with large pueblos located in the Mimbre s Valley, archaeologists have subscribed to a center-periphery model o f exchange to explain the occurrence of these ceramics outside of the ''heartland.'' Recent instrumental neutron-activation analysis based o n 117 samples from six sites and supported by petrographic analyses de monstrates that separable production groups can be distinguished outsi de of, as well as within, the valley proper. Widely distributed produc tion locales do not support a model of centralized control over produc tion and distribution. The analyses thus raise questions about the pur poses of such visually distinct pottery and the nature of its exchange .