WNMU Museum

Today was a cold, gray day, so after a quick trip to the grocery store Bob and I headed off to a local museum to feed our brains. We found it at the top of a hill in Silver City. Western New Mexico University reminds me of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst (the "h" is silent) where I attended college fresh out of high school. That school whipped its students into shape via the hills that one had to climb to get to the dorms.  WNMU was very similar.

Once inside we were treated to a historical explanation of the Mimbres people who lived in this area a thousand years ago, predating the Mogollon whom we learned about yesterday. These native Americans left pottery behind which helped to reveal their customs. The pottery features a very distinctive black and white patterning, often depicting animals, birds, and people. Notice that most of the bowls have a hole in them.

This is because of the burial practices of the Mimbres people. When a person passed on, they were buried under the floor of the house with a bowl placed over the face that had been "killed," or destroyed for practical use. This was thought to allow the person's spirit to reach heaven.

The museum also had a couple of beautiful Navaho woven blankets.

After the museum we headed back to Auggie, and spent the day in front of our new EdenPURE Infrared Zone Heater that we picked up this morning. It does a nice job of supplementing our furnace and saving propane.

Monday we head out to Casa Grande, AZ for a month. Time to move on!