Description

Eons of geologic forces shaping the vast, dramatic landscape of New Mexico conspired to form clay deposits that have been and continue to be used today in distinctive styles of pottery made by the people who came to inhabit the river valleys of this area. The people used their hands to build dwellings out of mud bricks that rose organically from the earth. The Spaniards called them Pueblos, which means villages in Spanish. The Pueblos continue to flourish today, such as those at Acoma and Taos, to name just a few. Although each pueblo has its own distinctive language and culture, they share agricultural practices, such as farming corn, beans, squash, and chile, which they water using a centuries-old communal irrigation system. Pueblo Pottery, then and today, has been used for both utilitarian and ceremony. The pottery embodies the forces of nature and continues to be admired for its beauty.

The Coe Collection houses Andrew Pacheco’s bowl called Flight of the Pterodactyls. Pacheco is from a renowned family of potters from Santo Domingo Pueblo, also known as Kewa Pueblo. Santo Domingo is the name given to the Pueblo by the Spanish in 1600. Pterodactyls was created when the artist was twelve years old, and he received an award at the New Mexico State Fair. This asymmetrical bowl’s outside is covered in micaceous slip, with red slip on the interior and black and terracotta-colored images on the exterior that seem to represent pterodactyls. The smudging on the black pterodactyls may have occurred during firing, making the winged dinosaurs appear airborne. 

Many Pueblo potters begin by gathering clay from local sources, following cultural prescriptions with a commitment to sustainability. A temper is added once the clay has been pulverized and soaked in water. Otherwise, the clay would dry and crack. Pueblo potters employ the coil method to build their pots. They do not use pottery wheels but may use a clay mold called a puki to form the round bottom. The puki also helps rotate the piece while building the upper portion of the pot. After the coils are smoothed, the pot is left to dry before lightly sanding it to remove imperfections before applying a thin solution of clay called slip.. Organic pigments such as “spinach juice” or guaco, a black paint made from the Rocky Mountain Bee plant, can be used to decorate the pots. Some Pueblo potters still use paintbrushes made from a yucca plant leaf whose base has been crushed or chewed.

Dinosaurs continue to inhabit the work of Andrew Pacheco, which is known for its polished, graceful lines. Besides being a distinguished potter, Pacheco is also a teacher of the Keres language. Spoken by the Santo Domingo Pueblo, it is a crucial part of their culture and knowledge. Keres is a language isolate, meaning that linguistically, it is not related to any other family of languages and is one of the approximately 3,000  endangered languages in the world today.

Sources: 

• Antonio Chavarrica, “Making Pottery Seeking Life

  https://indianartsandculture.org/assets/files/docent-training/ChavarriaMakingPottery.pdf

• “Grounded in Clay. The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery.”

  https://www.pbs.org/video/grounded-in-clay-the-spirit-of-pueblo-pottery-3iwdmt

• Laurie Seban, “Southwest Pottery: Ancient Traditions and Contemporary Innovations”, June 3, 2019, Arts in Context. Last accessed August 21, 2024

  https://www.artsincontext.com/post/southwest-pottery-from-the-crocker-collection-sacrament

• “The Keres Language: A Language Family Fighting for Survival.”, June 9, 2022,
  Published in Atomic Scribe, last accessed, August 10, 2024.
  https://www.atomicscribe.com/the-keres-language-a-language-family-fighting-for-survival/#:~:text=As%20with%20other%20Native%20American,speakers%20in%202013%20(Source).