Western New Mexico University Museum — Attraction in Silver City

This is a gem of a museum, just the way I like it. Most of the collection is Mimbres pottery which is amazing in design and construction. The best objects are displayed well on the main floor and a separate room has shelves loaded with pots and bowls. There are a few examples of other types of pottery but the main focus is Mimbres which was found in the area. As Native pottery goes, this is a unique style well worth seeing. The main display is well labeled, not crowded, and easy to view. There is no admission fee but donations are welcome. There are a few gifts but this is not a commercial operation. You can see everything in an hour or even less. When I was there there was only 1-2 other visitors. Masks were required and the pleasant attendant took temperatures and asked some questions....

One of the most expansive collections of ancient Southwestern pottery l have ever seen qas housed inside this museum. My only disappointment was that the pottery was not dated, specifically, to pottery trends of the "time" they were created, nir even "best guessed" about the date(s) of creation. Many Native American tribes across the SW region were making pottery as far back as 200-300 A.D. The dates "assigned" to the pieces in this museum were dates that collectors found them, literally hundreds, and possibly tens of hundreds, of years after the pottery was made and used, so that aspect fell very flat for me. Nevertheless, the collections is amazing, and again, quite expansive! If you are a Native Amerucan pottery buff, this is a museum worth seeing. One can't beat the price of admission...

An overall amazing museum. Beautiful ceramics and restored buildings on the campus. As an archaeologist, I am concerned about the display of ceramics with ceremonial kill holes and artifacts available for public interaction. Were tribes consulted for these display decisions? If so, that should be an element of the display interpretation. I fear the artifacts available to touch may be pocketed by unscrupulous visitors. If they have been scientifically exhausted and the tribes consulted, then that's fine, though another opportunity for interpretation on the issues of consultation, black market antiques, and...