Mimbres Plain seems to be a late, local variant of Alma Plain, as Reserve Smudged was in the Reserve Series.  Vessels tend to have thicker walls than the Alma series. Jars are shouldered, similar to Salado pottery, and throughout it appears that the Mimbres had closer ties to cultures to the west than those to the north.

Paste: Red to brown
Temper: Sand
Surface: Smoothed
Forms: Bowls, seed jars, jars and ollas, miniatures
Design: None

Mimbres Incised seems to be a late, local variant of Alma Incised. Vessels tend to have thicker walls than the Alma series. Jars are shouldered and have flaring rims, like Salado pottery. The incised decoration can be narrow, as if drawn with a sharp tool, or wider, as demonstrated in our example.

Paste: Red to brown
Temper: Sand
Surface: Smoothed
Forms: Bowls, seed jars, jars and ollas, miniatures
Design: None

Mimbres Corrugated is related to Upper Gila Corrugated Types, such as Reserve Plain Corrugated, and later, Tularosa Patterned Corrugated. Corrugations are usually rather wide, not carefully aligned and often smoothed but not obliterated. Indenting to create patterns seems not to have been common, although "exuberant" corrugations were sometimes used.

Paste: Red to brown
Temper: Sand
Surface: Smoothed
Forms: Bowls, seed jars, jars and ollas, miniatures
Design: None

Mangas Black-on-White, (formerly Mimbres Bold Face), is characterized by bold designs and relatively wide linework. It is probably ancestral to Mimbres Black-on-White, although it was produced throughout the most Mimbres Phase. The vessels identified here as Mangas Black-on-White are generally much bolder than others recovered from the Mattocks Ruin.

Paste: Gray to red
Temper: Quartz sand with occasional mica
Surface: Thick white slip on painted surfaces, often untreated on exteriors
Forms: Primarily bowls
Design: Bold, wide-lined designs, negative-painted designs.

Mimbres Black-on-White is perhaps the most recognizable of the southwestern types, most likely because it is the only type which consistently bears figural subject matter. Animals, insects, fish, humans and mythological subjects are common. These beasts are usually highly conventionalized, and often resemble those found in pictographs, or rock art. Though many have studied these figures, no one has provided a convincing explanation of their meaning.

Paste: Gray to red
Temper: Quartz sand with occasional mica
Surface: Thick white slip on painted surfaces, often untreated on exteriors
Forms: Primarily bowls
Design: Figural designs executed with fine lines. Rims usually treated with multiple fine lines.

Mimbres Black-on-White is perhaps the most recognizable of the southwestern types, most likely because it is the only type which consistently bears figural subject matter. However, geometric motifs are at least as common. These usually consist of a band of decoration extending partway into the bowl. Some bowls have allover decoration. Fine lines and relative intricacy distinguish this type from the earlier Mangas Black-on-White.

Paste: Gray to red
Temper: Quartz sand with occasional mica
Surface: Thick white slip on painted surfaces, often untreated on exteriors
Forms: Primarily bowls
Design: Figural designs executed with fine lines. Rims usually treated with multiple fine lines.

Mimbres Red-on-White is a late variety of Mimbres Black-on-White. Designs can be geometric or figural. Although some Mimbres Black-on-White vessels have paint tending towards red, this was the result of accidental exposure to oxygen during the firing process. The paint color of such vessels generally ranges from black to red within a single vessel. Mimbres Black-on- Red, however, resulted from the intentional exploitation of this phenomenon, being refired in an oxygenizing atmosphere to completely oxidize the paint to a red color.

Paste: Gray to red
Temper: Quartz sand with occasional mica
Surface: Thick white slip on painted surfaces, often untreated on exteriors
Forms: Primarily bowls and jars
Design: Fine-lined designs, similar to Mimbres Black-on-White.

Mimbres Polychrome is identical to Mimbres Black-on-White in all respects except that a yellowish slip has been added to some area to create a three-color composition. This technique was employed in both figural and geometric designs. Polychrome pottery was associated with earlier rather than later burials at the Mattocks Ruin, and seems to have been short-lived. Perhaps Red-on-white pottery, which appears to be a later Mimbres type, replaced the polychrome variety.

Paste: Gray to red
Temper: Quartz sand with occasional mica
Surface: Thick white slip on painted surfaces, often untreated on exteriors
Forms: Primarily bowls
Design: Figural or geometric designs executed with fine lines. Some areas filled with yellowish slip to create third color.