A prehistoric ruin near Chihuahua, Mexico, Paquime’ (Casas Grande) was the source of an ancient pottery tradition. It had been the home of primitively produced but excitingly colorful pottery, as evidenced by shards found in its ruins. In the 1970's, Juan Quezada, a resident of Chihuahua, was so captivated by these remnants of clay history that he experimented with local clays until he could create pots that stayed intact after firing. His breakthrough came when he determined that adding sand to the clay was like breathing life into it. The result, after endless trials, gave birth in the neighboring Village of Mata Ortiz, to an art pottery movement unlike any other contemporaneous pottery culture. Pots created by Quezada and his associated villagers, many of whom are extended family members, have achieved exalted respect and soaring values for their thin walls, exceptional shapes and eye-captivating designs today. You will find them in collections and museums as demanding as the Smithsonian.

Many households in Mata Ortiz, estimated at as many as 1 in 6, now also create beautiful pottery. These artisans specialize in hand-built pots (wheels are not used). In the tradition of the Pueblos to which Mata Ortiz pots are compared favorably and more; the medium used is local clay harvested by the potters and their families. Paints for designs are sourced from nature. Designs are painted in detail or etched sgraffito-style. The pottery is fired in shallow pits, not in kilns. Each piece is signed by the artist with the exceptions being where the graphics leave no negative space for signatures, which the uniqueness of the designs render superlative anyway. While once considered imitative of Pueblo pottery, Mata Ortiz pottery now thrives in a class by itself.