Pueblo Pottery: History and Tradition

The world is constantly changing. If you’ve ever seen a nature documentary and been lulled into learning by the calm, cool voice of Richard Attenborough, you’ve probably been mesmerized by a time-lapse video of a river changing its course, the ocean’s tide moving in and out, or the growth and expansion of human development. Art, in all of its forms, is no different. As artists throughout human history expand their knowledge and creativity, they create their own time-lapse of change. This can be seen as a singular artist evolves and reacts to their life and surroundings, and it can be seen as a culture evolves and reacts to its surroundings. The Native Americans, with their complex history including many examples of forced cultural erasure, have many reasons for their art to change rapidly. Yet, the cultural traditions passed down from one generation to the next remain visible in work seen today. So how has Pueblo pottery changed over its history while continuing to honor its past? In this paper, I will discuss the evolution of Native American pottery over a large portion of history, starting with a piece dated to AD 1200 and ending with a recent piece by a contemporary artist. I will also explore the ways that tradition has been kept and cherished throughout this time period, despite the many difficulties faced by the greater Native American community.

Though I’m not sure why, I never would have expected communities to be making something so similar to modern-day coffee mugs in AD 1200. But the Pueblo community of Mesa Verde made beautiful examples of mugs between the years of AD 1150 to AD 1300, with very few examples being found in this time period outside of this region (Smithsonian). This time period is important in Pueblo pottery because while the trade and export of pottery was evident between different people groups in the Mesa Verde region (Putsavage, 13), these tribes had not yet made contact with white settlers so there would be no influence in styles or materials that you’d see once potters began to take into consideration what would be easy to sell to settlers. While the black-on-white traditional designs are immediately evident, there are also items more readily noted on closer inspection. For example, while these mugs were initially thought to be for ritual use only, there are wear patterns that indicate regular use and mugs were made to fit right- and left-handed grips as best benefitted the user (Smithsonian).

It would be a mistake to discuss Pueblo pottery and to not mention Maria Martinez. Perhaps the most well-known Pueblo pottery artist, Martinez developed a firing technique that honored the styles of her ancestors, but was entirely her own (About Maria Martinez). Together with her husband and children, Maria created many works that were sold to the general public and led to international renown. Maria was born and lived in the San Ildefonso Pueblo, which has been inhabited since around AD 1300 (San Ildefonso Pueblo). A Native American community with this kind of longevity of place is fairly unique due to various treaties and the reservation system of the United States and the ability to continue cultural tradition is evident in Martinez’s work. While the black-on-black technique was developed by Martinez and is less traditional than the standard polychrome pottery of the Pueblo people, there are traditional geometric patterns evident on many of her pieces. The patterns were painted onto the pieces first by Martinez’s husband, Julian, an accomplished watercolor artist on his own (Maria Martinez:Indian Pottery of San Ildefonso). These traditional patterns are reminiscent of the mug from AD 1200 that was found in Mesa Verde. Because the San Ildefonso people can trace their roots prior to their current pueblo to the Mesa Verde region (San Ildefonso Pueblo), this continuation of traditional patterns is to be expected and is a fantastic example of culture being passed from generation to generation. Initially, Martinez wasn’t planning on selling pieces to the general public, but when interest was shown she took the opportunity to bring money into the community (Maria Martinez:Indian Pottery of San Ildefonso). This interest, and Martinez’s willingness to continue creating these pieces that differed from the more traditional polychrome pieces, led to a solo exhibition at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Art Museum, an astounding feat (Wikipedia contributors).

Much like Martinez had learned the traditional hand-coiling pottery techniques from her family, generations after Maria are continuing this practice. Great-granddaughter, Barbara Gonzales, has also made a name for herself in the art world. Her work was chosen to be displayed in the National Museum of Women in the Arts in 1997 (Barbara Gonzales Biography) and seems to mix styles between traditional pueblo colors and the black-on-black style made famous by Martinez. In the piece shared below, you can see several traditional elements combined with choices that are more unique to Gonzales. The shape of the vase and geometric, sgraffito feathers are very traditional and similar to pieces created by Martinez. These are elements that are shared with many pueblo artists. Gonzales has a calling card in the sgraffito spider, which is said to bring good luck in Pueblo tradition and teaching (Eyes of the Pot). The inlay of turquoise is very reminiscent of work by her uncle Tony Da. Barbara is also known for her work creating a different traditional type of pottery: swish pots, which is a type of seed pot popular with the Acoma Pueblo (Abatemarco), but always puts her own spin on the highly traditional works.

Of course, the extended Martinez family is incredibly fortunate to have such a wealth of traditional teachings available to them. As previously mentioned, the ability of the San Ildefonso Pueblo to stay in their traditional living space since AD 1300 is not typical of most Native American experiences. The most notable example of forced relocation is the Trail of Tears, or the relocation of several tribes as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (“Trail of Tears | Facts, Map, and Significance”). The tribes, forced as much as 5,000 miles away from their traditional homelands, experienced devastating cultural loss of place and loss of life (“Trail of Tears | Facts, Map, and Significance”). With barely enough time to catch their breath and get their feet under them, the false idea of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” was introduced through Indian Boarding schools where the ideal was to erase any cultural memory in Native American children (Northern Plains Reservation Aid). These schools were required by law and Native parents could not opt their children out of off-reservation schools until the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (Northern Plains Reservation Aid). As a result, many tribes are seeing a heartbreaking amount of cultural loss in their languages, traditional hunting practices, art practices, etc. In this light, the long-standing cultural practices passed from generation to generation like the Pueblo tradition of pottery is even more astounding.

This is not meant to negate any hardships that the San Ildefonso Pueblo worked through. Though they have had some security of place in the Pueblo, there have been struggles there as well. During a site visit to view some pieces by Maria Martinez at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, I stumbled on a gallery of work by Cochiti Pueblo artist Virgil Ortiz called Convergence. This exhibit brought awareness of the Pueblo uprising of 1680, where many Pueblos worked together to defeat a terrible Spanish regime that had forced both servitude and prohibited cultural practices and displayed superheroes created by Ortiz who he imagined would travel through space and time from the year 2180 to gather their people’s knowledge and stories to bring back to their time (“Virgil Ortiz: Convergence | Minneapolis Institute of Art”). These heroes, who go through such lengths to travel and bring back the traditional knowledge of their people, highlight the importance of passing cultural knowledge from one generation to the next. In an interview featured on the institute’s website, Ortiz notes that he was inspired to create these heroes after cultural influences from his childhood, such as Star Wars, had a lasting effect on him (“Virgil Ortiz: Convergence | Minneapolis Institute of Art”). Though there are quite a few obvious uses of traditional color palettes and garments in other pieces of the exhibit, the two heroes feature traditional Pueblo designs so prominently that their bodies are covered. The placards for the art note that the black coloring was gathered traditionally and Ortiz goes over the impressively difficult process of acquiring the natural dyes on the Institute’s website (“Virgil Ortiz: Convergence | Minneapolis Institute of Art”). Ortiz’s work does a gorgeous job of both honoring his traditional teachings and Pueblo background while paying homage to the contemporary and technology-driven world that he lives in. The exhibit is both beautiful and haunting, simultaneously showcasing pride of heritage and concern that it will one day be lost.

Like any other type of art, Pueblo pottery has evolved and changed over the years. What’s most impressive, however, is the common thread of cultural knowledge over the centuries of the Pueblo people. Whether it’s traditional pottery techniques and styles found in ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings, or the continuation of these styles seen in ground-breaking techniques still in use today by the extended family of Maria Martinez, or the modern touches added by Virgil ortiz, all of it should be celebrated and held dear. In the face of so much forced cultural erasure and trauma, the Pueblo people have managed to honor the teachings of their past while creating cherished works of art and earning fame and recognition in the highest art circles today.

Works Cited

Abatemarco, Michael. “Early Observations: Barbara Gonzales.” Santa Fe New Mexican, 18 Aug. 2017, www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/art/early-observations-barbara-gonzales/article_b0b61139-9e83-5ac8-bee5-30a5677dee51.html.

“About Maria Martinez.” MariaMartinezPottery.Com, www.mariamartinezpottery.com/about-maria-martinez.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2022.

“Barbara Gonzales Biography.” Medicinemangallery.Com, 2021, www.medicinemangallery.com/barbara-gonzales-biography.

Eyes of the Pot. “Barbara Gonzales | Native American Pottery.” Eyes of the Pot, www.eyesofthepot.com/san-ildefonso/barbara-gonzales.php. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

“Jagg, Virgil Ortiz ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art.” Minneapolis Institute of Art, collections.artsmia.org/art/142359/jagg-virgil-ortiz. Accessed 1 Apr. 2022.

“Maria Martinez: Indian Pottery of San Ildefonso (Documentary, 1972, VHS).” YouTube, uploaded by Analog Anthropology Archive, 21 Nov. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkUGm87DE0k&ab_channel=AnalogAnthropologyArchive.

Northern Plains Reservation Aid. “Native American History and Culture: Boarding Schools – American Indian Relief Council Is Now Northern Plains Reservation Aid.” Northern Plains Reservation Aid, www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_hist_boardingschools. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Putsavage, Kathryn Jane. “Mesa Verde Style Mugs: An Analysis of Domestic and Ritual Functions – ProQuest.” ProQuest, 2008, www.proquest.com/openview/aede622b2051fc796e6df5058bc4e2ce/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750.

San Ildefonso Pueblo. “San Ildefonso Pueblo – San Ildefonso Pueblo Website.” Pueblo de San Ildefonso, sanipueblo.org. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Smithsonian. “Ancestral Pueblo Mug – Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian – George Gustav Heye Center, New York.” Infinity of Nations, americanindian.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/southwest/067156.html#:%7E:text=Ancestral%20Pueblo%20pottery%20was%20built,Utility%20ware%20was%20left%20unpainted. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Plate.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian, americanart.si.edu/artwork/plate-16387. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

“Trail of Tears | Facts, Map, and Significance.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Brittanica, www.britannica.com/event/Trail-of-Tears. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

“Virgil Ortiz: Convergence | Minneapolis Institute of Art.” Minneapolis Institute of Art, new.artsmia.org/exhibition/virgil-ortiz-convergence. Accessed 1 Apr. 2022.

Wikipedia contributors. “Maria Martinez.” Wikipedia, 6 Mar. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Martinez.