Mimbres abandonment and drought research

Record summary

Archaeological and dendrochronological studies of the Mimbres region investigated the eleventh- to twelfth-century transformation of large settlements and the movement of communities after the classic Mimbres period. Drought, agricultural limits, political reorganization, and changing exchange systems were considered together. The lead matters because it offers a regional example of relocation and cultural transformation rather than a literal vanished civilization. Debate concerns the timing and severity of drought, the scale of migration, and continuity between Mimbres descendants and later communities.