The Mimbres Culture Heritage Site is an important archaeological landmark tied to the Mimbres people, an ancient Native American community who settled the site more than a millennium ago, known for its distinctive pottery and settlement structures. Despite its historical significance and two periods of professional excavation, much of the site remains unexplored. The Mimbres Culture Heritage Site is owned and protected by the Imogen F. Wilson Education Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and all archaeological exploration rights are held by Archaeology Southwest.
Northrop Grumman, is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. As a trusted technology innovator, it pioneers solutions to equip customers with the capability to connect and protect the world and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Since 2016, as part of its Technology for Conservation (T4C) initiative, Northrop Grumman has leveraged innovative and cost-effective technologies to address critical environmental conservation challenges, evolving partnerships with conservation organizations and providing new opportunities for employees. In 2023, the T4C initiative launched the Cultural Scans for an Interactive 3D Experience (SITEs) effort to scan and preserve important historical sites. In partnership with the New Mexico Humanities Council (NMHC), Northrop Grumman has scanned five key locations across New Mexico, with the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site being the fourth.
The Mimbres Culture Heritage Site, situated in the Mimbres River Valley in Grant County, New Mexico, was selected due to its need for preservation and its potential for further discovery as the only publicly accessible interpreted Mimbres archeological site. Another factor in
the selection was the isolated location, which creates financial challenges for researchers looking to uncover buried structures or artifacts crucial to understanding the Mimbres people and the site's history.
Focused on uncovering subsurface features, Northrop Grumman conducted initial research and identified ground-penetrating radar (GPR), magnetometers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), as the most effective non-invasive tools to leverage in this process. As Northrop Grumman looked into solutions and potential technology partners for this work, Measur stood out as a leading name in drone technology. Measur then connected the Northrop Grumman team with its partner, Altomaxx, a provider of advanced drone-based services. Altomaxx, was excited by the project and brought technical expertise and advanced equipment to the collaboration.
Strong NW signal (-675 to 2321 nT); cross patterns in South/SE possibly from flight lines
Heavy vegetation interference; GPR largely inconclusive
Strong magnetic signal on the north side of the scan area (-150/150nT) could indicate a pathway or an anomaly beneath the nearby yucca plants, some magnetic strength noted along the south end, likely caused by the fence line
Strong central, NE, SE signals; possible object ~4.32m deep, 2814L, 1.75m diameter
Disturbed soil N line; possible anomalies unrelated to vegetation
Strong East/SE anomalies (-1912/6967 nT); structural remnants in South possible
SE corner soil disturbance; vegetation interference elsewhere
