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ACOMA POTTERY
The Acoma Pueblo is one of the oldest still inhabited dwelling in North
America. Located approximately 80 miles west of Albuquerque, N.M., The
"Sky City" of Acoma is perhaps one of the most beautiful and mystifying
locations.
Acoma Pottery, with its recognizable monochrome and polychrome designs,
is some of the most beautiful American Indian (Native American) pottery
available.

Acoma Pottery is known for its very thin walls, stylistic fluted rims,
and beautifully painted geometric designs. Creating Acoma Pottery is a
time consuming and resource intensive venture. From collecting the
clay to the final firing, the finished product is by far some of the most
beautiful Native American pottery.
The pueblo itself is located on a mesa about 370 feet above the valley
floor. Very easy to defend, it also makes life difficult. It is
estimated that is has been inhabited as early as 1100 A.D.
The Spaniards, led by Coronado, are believed to have advanced on the mesa in
about 1540 A.D.
With the Spaniards arrived the missionaries. As a result, one of the
most beautiful missions was built, the San Esteban Del Rey Mission.
The Acoma are a matriarchal society. The 300 or so structures on the
mesa are passed on from mother to daughter and 'owned' by the women.
though not all Acoma live on the mesa year-round, a good portion return to
the mesa often. Additionally, some families are chosen to live on the
mesa by the tribal council year round, a great honor.
Led by "The Matriarchs" of Acoma, Acoma Pottery is now highly sought
after by galleries, museums, and collectors internationally. Here are
the matriarchs:
Lucy M. Lewis, Acoma
Marie Z. Chino, Acoma
Jessie Garcia, Acoma
Juana Leno, Acoma
Acoma Pottery is available in many galleries and online auction sites.
Here are some current items on EBAY:
Acoma Pottery is known for its very thin walls, stylistic fluted rims,
and beautifully painted geometric designs. Creating Acoma Pottery is a
time consuming and resource intensive venture. From collecting the
clay to the final firing, the finished product is by far some of the most
beautiful Native American pottery. Though today it is more of a hobby
that supplements the income of the potters, not too long ago it was a form
of sustenance that favored the prolific.
Acoma potters use the same technique that other Native American pueblos use:
COLLECTING THE CLAY
Local sources are found. The clay must be mined, cleaned, and filtered
for impurities. A time consuming task.
FORMING THE VESSEL
The vessels are not formed on a wheel like most pottery, instead, the coil
method is used. Starting at the bottom, a 'snake' of clay is built
from the ground up. The vessel is smoothed and sanded. The Acoma
are known for their thin walled pieces, characterized by fluted tops.
DECORATING
Ranging from geometric to representational, there are some designs that
stand out. Chaco Canyon Spikes, Tularosa Basin Lighting, Mesa Verde
Fret, and Mimbres Animals dominate the designs. The designs are
painted onto the formed and polished vessel by hand using natural minerals
and vegetal paints. The painting is done by hand. If you think
creating art on a 2-dimensional scale is difficult, try to do it on a
3-dimensional scale! Especially at Sky City is this challenging.
You can only decorate during the day (there is no electricity).
FIRING
This is where no potter must be able to sleep. After investing upwards
of 60 hours to create a piece, there is the chance that it is all for
nothing. They typically fire all of their pieces formed during the
year at once.
At very high temperatures, the pots are lined around a large (and very hot)
outside fire. If during the collecting they did not remove all of the
impurities, the pots can explode. This not only destroys the piece,
but could damage the surrounding pots.
NOTES:
Today's potters realize the time and energy that it takes to make a
beautiful piece. Like everyone, each realizes a strength in design and
some have started using 'molds' instead of using the traditional forming
methods.
Additionally, it is more common to find pieces that are kiln fired vs.
traditionally fired. I am not a fan of these methods, but realize that
the design is where a lot of the artists feel they can best express
themselves.
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