Pueblo Pottery- A Tradition of the People
Since before the beginnings of recorded history, Native tribes the world over have been making pottery both for functional and ceremonial/decorative use. Food storage and preparation pots are found in abandoned dwellings. Decorated shards are often found buried with Native remains, perhaps having been used to feed the dead on their journey or as an offering to the spirit world.
This page is dedicated to the pottery traditions and renowned potters of the southwestern United States, and more specifically to the 19 recognized Pueblos of New Mexico.
Moreover, it is dedicated to the period known as "Modern" Pueblo Pottery, defined as late 19th to mid-20th Century works.
The photo shown here is a Santo Domingo Pot from the early modern period.
The Basics of Southwestern/Pueblo Pottery
From Southwestern Pottery; Anasazi to Zuni, Allan Hayes & John Blom, Northland Publishing, 1996; (ISBN 0-87358-656-5).
*Ancestral Pueblo Cultures: including Anasazi, Mimbres Valley, Jornada Mogollon, Hohokam, Casas Grandes, Fremont.
*Historic Pueblo cultures: including Santa Clara Pueblo, Taos Pueblo, Hopi, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo and the Zuni. Noted individuals involved in Pueblo pottery include Nampeyo of the Hopi, and Maria and Julian Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo. In the early 1900s Maria Martinez and her husband Julian rediscovered how to make the traditional Black-on Black pottery for which San Ildefonso Pueblo would soon become famous.
*Other historic cultures including the Apache and the Navajo (who refer to themselves as the Diné).
Dating Southwestern pottery:
Pottery Style Time Period
Basketmaker II 50 BC - AD 450
Basketmaker III AD 450 - 700
Pueblo I 700 - 900
Pueblo II 900 - 1100
Pueblo III 1100 - 1300
Pueblo IV 1300 - 1600
Historic 1600 - 1880
Modern 1880 - 1950
Contemporary 1950 - present
Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo
Maria belonged to the San Ildefonso Pueblo and became popularized starting in 1908 when an archaeology and anthropology professor from Santa Fe, NM began seeking a potter to reproduce an ancient style of blackware pottery.
He was guided to Maria's work by locals of the Tewa community and initiated a partnership which resulted in a revival of ancient traditions.
Maria's Wikipedia Bio
:This article is about the American artist. For the Spanish field hockey player, see María Isabel Martínez
Maria Martinez (1887 ? 1980) was a Native American artist who created internationally known pottery. Martinez (born Maria Antonia Montoya), her husband Julian, and other family members examined traditional Pueblo pottery styles and techniques to create pieces which reflect the Pueblo people's legacy of fine artwork and crafts.
Maria was from the San Ildefonso Pueblo, a community located 20 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. At an early age, she learned pottery skills from her aunt. During this time, Spanish tinware and Anglo enamelware had become readily available in the Southwest, making the creation of traditional cooking and serving pots less necessary. The art of traditional pottery making was in jeopardy of extinction. Fortunately, Maria continued her interest in the fine art, and experimented with different techniques.
Books about Maria Martinez, Potter Extraordinaire
Recollections from My Time in the Indian Service, 1935-1943: Maria Martinez Makes Pottery
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 12/05/2008) ![]()
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The Living Tradition of Maria Martinez
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The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez
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Maria Making Pottery: The Story Of Famous American Indian Potter Maria Martinez
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Traditional Pot Buiding Methods
the bare basics
Coiling: the potter takes a section of clay and rolls it into long snake-like coils which are cut to the desired length and attached in a circular manner one above the other to build the pot's walls. The potter smooths the places where the coils join, both inside the pot and out, for stability and appearance.
Slab Building: Rolling the clay into thick flat slabs, which are then joined together with slip.
Pinching: Taking a ball of prepared clay and pinching it into shape beginning by making an indentation with the thumb and working out from the center.
Introductory Readings on Puebloan Pottery
Nampeyo... New Hopi Traditions
Iris Nampeyo (1860?-1942) was a Hopi potter who lived on the Hopi Reservation in present-day Arizona.Dillingham, Rick. Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery. pp. 14-15. University of New Mexico Press, (reprint edition) 1994. Various sources give either 1859 or 1860 as Nampeyo's birthdate. She received the English name Iris as an infant, but was better known by her Tewa name, Num-pa-yu, means "snake that does not bite". She was born at Hano Pueblo, which is primarily made up of descendants of the Tewa tribe who fled west to Hopi lands after the Pueblo Rebellion of 1680. Her mother, Ootca-ka-o was Tewa; her father Qots-vema, from nearby Walpi Pueblo, was Hopi.
Hopi people make ceramics painted with beautiful designs, and Nampeyo was eventually considered one of the finest Hopi potters. Nampeyo learned pottery making through the efforts of her paternal grandmother. In the 1870's, she made a steady income by selling her work at a local trading post operated by Thomas Keam.Wade Edwin L., Lea S. McChesney and Thomas Keam. "Historic Hopi Ceramics: The Thomas V. Keam Collection of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology". She became increasingly interested in ancient pottery form and design, recognizing them as superior to Hopi pottery produced at the time. Her second husband, Lesou (or Lesso) was employed by the archaeologist J. Walter Fewkes at the excavation of the prehistoric ruin of Sikyátki in the 1890's. Lesou helped Nampeyo find shards showing the old forms and Fewkes produced detailed illustrations of reconstructed pots.
Nampeyo developed her own style based on the traditional designs. Her work was purchased for the Smithsonian Institution and by collectors worldwide. In 1904 and 1907, she produced and sold pottery at the Grand Canyon lodge owned by the Fred Harvey Company. She and her husband traveled to Chicago in 1898 and 1910 to display her work.
Nampeyo began to lose her sight in 1925, but continued to form and shape pots by touch. These later pots were painted by members of her family, including her four daughters, who also became well-known potters. She worked with clay until her death in 1942.
Nampeyo's photograph was often used as a symbol of the Hopi people and, by the end of her life, she was drawing huge numbers of tourists to her workshop. Her influence led to a renewal of the pottery making tradition among the Hopi and to the elevation of traditional pottery forms and decoration to an art form.
Books featuring Nampeyo and Hopi Potters
Pottery Poll
As shown here, there are many different styles of Pueblo pottery. Do you prefer one type over another? Share your tastes!
Auctions of Pueblo Pottery
A great chance to get an amazing deal on eBay auctions. Often times Native potters offer their work here! Check the description and seller info before you buy to make sure it is an authentic Native made piece! There are many replicas and "imposters" out there too!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byPieces by Acoma Artisans
Acoma pots are famous for their fine lines and intricate designs.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byArt Featuring Pueblo Pottery
Other Pages on Native Arts
For those who would like to explore Southwestern Native arts further, here are some lenses which might be of interest:-
World Tribal Jewelry
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All around the world, different tribal cultures wear traditional jewelry. Some represent the wearer's marital status, while in other regions jewelry may denote the wealth of the person wearing it or simply be an expression of what the people consider...
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Handmade Navajo Jewelry
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The Navajo are an Athabascan people who migrated into the Four Corners region of the American southwest roughly 600 years ago. When they settled there, they were farmers and herders. However, when they came into contact with the Spaniards, they learn...
Visitor Log
Tell me your opinion of the product, of the lens, or simply leave your mark.
I welcome comments and suggestions.
Jewelsofawe wrote...
Saw you updated this lens on twitter, so I thought I would come by and check it out. I love pottery. This is a cool lens!
sellingnicestuff wrote...
Thank you for this lens. My late mother born 1911 knew Maria Martinez very well. Her work is global and coveted!





