ABANDONMENT AND REORGANIZATION IN THE MIMBRES REGION OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

Archaeological research on abandonments has focused primarily on their causes, as though they were final events. This article investigates t he abandonment at the end of the Mimbres Classic Period as a process o f reorganization within a larger social context. Analyses of pottery a nd architecture demonstrate that previously homogeneous material cultu re was replaced by a diversity of technological styles. These material changes indicate that the reorganization involved the development of broader regional ties and the redefinition of community.