Antecedents, Continuities, and Experimental Stages in a Design System: A Symmetry Analysis of Geometric Designs of the Mimbres Tradition

Symmetry analysis characterizes ∼1300 geometric designs on bowl interiors from five sites of the Mimbres culture tradition, AD 1000–1150, of southwestern New Mexico. The analysis reveals a distinct homogeneity in pattern structure and color on three layouts (pendant, centered and band) that, classified by plane pattern symmetries, shows a preference for four finite structures (C2, C4, D2, D4) and two one-dimensional structures (p112, pmm2) and a diversity of one-color, colored, and two-color arrangements of solid and hatched motifs. The analysis reveals common shared symmetries among neighboring cultural traditions to the south in northern Mexico, to the west among the Hohokam, and to the north among the Ancestral Pueblo of central New Mexico. Classification of the designs by symmetry enables detection of experimentation in the evolution of the design system wherein finite designs were placed within banded layouts.