The unfortunate looting of sites in the Mimbres region of southwest New Mexico has meant that many potential sources of insight into Mimbres culture and heritage have been lost; yet episodes of standardized excavation methods by professional archaeologists have still produced a wealth of data for interpretation. The recent publication of Mimbres Life and Society: The Mattocks Site of Southwestern New Mexico by Patricia Gilman and Steven LeBlanc is a testament to the importance of long-term professional excavations and careful documentation and study of archaeological findings.

The Mattocks site is a large Classic period (AD 1000–1130) pueblo in the Mimbres River valley. It is perhaps the best recognized in the area due to its availability to the public as a cultural heritage center and location on the Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway. It has a long history of excavations, first by Paul Nesbitt of Beloit College (1929–1931) and then by the Mimbres Foundation (which included Gilman and LeBlanc) in the 1970s.

Mimbres Life and Society is both a detailed site report and a synthesis of larger themes in Mimbres research. The book includes an introduction, 9 chapters, and 29 appendices of data from Mattocks excavations. The authors have arranged each chapter according to different datasets. Gilman and LeBlanc have faced the difficult task of synthesizing information from different episodes of excavation using different methods of excavation, as well as incomplete records from earlier excavations. The introductory chapter outlines their own methodology and the history of excavations at Mattocks.

The first chapter of the book (following the introduction) discusses the chronology of the Mattocks site and the Mimbres region in general, although the depth of regional chronology included may not have been necessary, given the wealth of information already published on the topic. The authors should be applauded for the detail in their chronology, although some Mimbres specialists may find some of the terminology problematic. For example, many Mimbres scholars refer to “pit houses,” while Gilman and LeBlanc prefer “pit structures,” with reference to both architecture and corresponding temporal intervals. These semantics are not difficult to overcome, but there are inconsistencies in their use throughout the remaining chapters. Furthermore, the chronology used is modified from that typically applied by others in the field today (e.g., Anyon et al. 2017, Kiva 83[3]:316–343). Of most importance in Gilman and LeBlanc's chronology is the “Late Late Pit Structure” period (AD 880/950–1020/1050), which is more typically generalized as “transitional” in the literature.

Chapters 2, 3, and 4 address the architectural finds at Mattocks, including pit structures, pueblos, and the social contexts of room blocks. The authors do an excellent job of reconciling Nesbitt's data with their own, and the inclusion of maps and photographs throughout is very effective. There are differences in the naming conventions of excavated areas (“units” versus “rooms”), which is at times confusing, but the detailed information presented here is a valuable contribution. Gilman and LeBlanc suggest that the Mattocks pueblos were built and occupied by small “households” as opposed to lineages or corporate groups, as has been suggested by others. This point is considered further in the culminating chapter (9).

Chapter 5 includes a very good discussion of the environment and subsistence technologies and practices, including detailed consideration of faunal and archaeobotanical data and data about ground stone and chipped stone technologies. A contribution by Michael Cannon discusses human impacts on large-mammal populations in the region, and it is helpful in reconstructing the characteristics of the Mattocks site environment. Chapter 6 provides a wealth of data on Mattocks site ceramics and a good discussion about the distribution of different pottery types as reflections of social relationships in the greater region. Chapter 7 discusses burials found at the site, and bioarchaeologists will appreciate the detailed tables and inclusion of burials on room/unit maps. Finally, Chapter 8 presents “unusual artifacts” such as palettes, bone tools, pipes, shell artifacts, jewelry, and copper bells. Gilman and LeBlanc used this identifier at the time of their excavations because these items were not well known in the 1970s. Used as the title of this chapter, however, the phrase is somewhat misleading given the current state of knowledge about these forms of material culture in Mimbres archaeology.

Mimbres Life and Society has been long awaited, and Mimbres scholars will no doubt find it an important resource. Readers may at times find contradictions to some recent literature when it comes to terminology or chronological periods, but these issues are not insurmountable. Some discussions might have been improved with the inclusion of more recent publications. In the end, however, Gilman and LeBlanc do an excellent job of thoroughly documenting the Mattocks site, and they contribute valuable interpretations of greater Mimbres culture that will be appreciated by all.