11 Sep 2015 Pueblo Pottery of Southwest America

If you love pottery you must have heard about the Southwestern pottery by now. The Southwestern part of the US is known for its creative side in pottery. One of the most admired type is the Pueblo pottery. The term ‘Pueblo’ is actually a Spanish name, meaning ‘village’.  Pueblo people live in stone villages (pueblos) that span from Toas, New Mexico to the Hopi Pueblo mesas in Northern Arizona. The Pueblo people are the distinct cultural group of people who are settled in the Northern portion of the Southwestern United States. The Pueblo people began building very impressive dwelling places of stone between 900 to 1170 AD.  That’s how their art and craft came into light. And after that they started taking their art into the realms of other household accessories. That’s when the pottery craft started shaping up.

Hopi Style Painted Wall Plate

There are types of Pueblo pottery. The categories are like this- Hopi pottery, Acoma pottery, Santa Clara pottery and Zuni pottery are all considered Pueblo pottery. All Pueblo pottery share in common the characteristics. All traditional Southwest Native American Pueblo pottery is entirely handmade from digging, cleaning, soaking, crumbling, and sifting the clay to making the natural dyes and yucca brushes. All Pueblo pottery is created with natural materials gathered from the surrounding area. Clay is searched for and dug from the ground. Minerals and plants are refined to make paints, while rocks, pottery shards and gourd rinds are used for shaping and polishing. This was the way their ancestors used to follow and this is the tradition the present day artisans choose to continue.

Hopi Style Bell Shaped Pot

In Southwestern pottery there are two types of things that one should look out for. The first is the shape of the vase or pot and the second is the painting on the body. These are the two unique things that make for a unique and authentic pottery collection. The Pueblo pottery or the Southwestern pottery is ideal to be decorated for homes, offices, public places like hotels and restaurants and even for exterior decorations like garden area.

Pushpita is a freelance writer on world handicrafts and lifestyle. Pushpita holds a Masters in English literature and is a rich media professional.