Lydia Quezada
Master Potter of Mata Ortiz

By Rebekah Powers | February 2023

Lydia Quezada is the younger sister of Juan Quezada, the man who revived the prehistoric pottery tradition of the region and taught a generation the techniques and design that now comprise the renowned art form of Mata Ortiz pottery. She was his first student and one of the most talented to emerge from the movement. Under his tutelage she developed her own distinctive style. The story of how she learned to make the exceptional black-wear for which she’s known is an interesting one with ties to the Pueblo pottery of New Mexico.

It was after one of the first shows promoting Mata Ortiz pottery in New Mexico that Juan Quezada gained an audience with Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo. She generously shared the technique of reduction firing, an ancient technique she had rediscovered that turns clay from its natural red color to black during firing. Juan then carried this information home to his sister Lydia who continued to perfect the technique, developing her own dynamic interpretation which is known today as her signature style: the three blacks.

Chimayo Trading has a long and deep relationship with Lydia Quezada who traveled to our gallery 12 years in a row to demonstrate her techniques. Her three blacks consist of a smooth matte black finish, areas of gleaming high polished black, and the addition of a linear design in black. Along with her precision of design and elegant construction, she is recognized as a matriarch in the small village of Mata Ortiz.

We are proud to feature Lydia Quezada’s pieces which exemplify her complete mastery of firing techniques that were almost lost to history. Come in today to see how New Mexico’s most famous potter, Maria Martinez, has contributed to the continuation and expansion of the secrets of black pottery in the work of Lydia Quezada. She is fast becoming an icon like her brother, who recently passed away, the originator, the teacher and the man who started it all in Mata Ortiz, Juan Quezada.

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#1 Saint Francis Church Plaza
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

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