Remaking History
at Chimayo Trading Del Norte

“At Chimayo Trading Del Norte in Ranchos de Taos, Casas Grandes pottery has taken its rightful place among the Southwest’s traditional art forms.“

The following article was previously published in Taos Magazine, September 2007, about the Artists and Pottery of Mata Ortiz and their close relationship with Chimayo Trading and the collaborative demonstration of their unique pottery crafting techniques. The article features pots included in the Juan Quezada Collection now on display at Chimayo Trading and online at chimayotrading.com.

Show To Spotlight Unique Pottery
ABQ Journal | Monday, September 24, 2007
by Carol Mell

HUMBUG MOUNTAIN: Growing up in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, Juan Quezada could look forward to little. In his village, Mata Ortiz, a mining boom had long since passed. As long as their bodies held out, some men worked on the railroad. Some ran a few cattle. Yet evidence of a glorious past was right at their feet. On and off, Quezada worked in the fields of the United States but back home he picked up shards and even pots made by the ancient people of the Paquimé Pueblo.

Mata Ortiz was nearly a ghost town in the 1970s when Quezada began experimenting with clay, figuring that if the ancients could make pots, so could he. His only guides were shards. His only rules were to use materials that would have always been available.

First, he dug the clay looking for the purest sources but found those first pots cracked. Examining his shards carefully he realized that the Paquimé had added rougher materials. He began mixing ash to temper the clay and figured out how to fire pots using smoldering cow pies in open pits. Next, he perfected his forms using unique single-coil method he originated. He made brushes of his children’s hair but had to work long to imitate the intracacy of Paquimé lines.

The Art’s Discovery

Now, the story moves to 1976 in Deming, New Mexico. An Anthropologist was in town to help a friend with a mining venture but tooks some time to visit a few junk shops. Spencer Heath MacCallum found three symmetrical, thin-walled pots with fine painted surfacesat Bob’s Swap Shop that day. He at first thought they must be ancient but the shop owner assured him they were not. All three were unsigned.

MacCallum bought the pots and set out on a journey to find the potter. His quest eventually led him down a truck-busting track that led to Quezada’s living room. The potter was comletely unknown and complained that he could make finer work if anyone would pay him. MacCallum was later to learn that traders were buying Quezada’s pots, stressing them and passing them off as archeological finds in the United States.

On his second trip, MacCallum brought a photographer and instructed Quezada to build his best. The results were stunning. Through eight years Quezada made pots and MacCallum introduced them to museums and galleries in the United States.

Quezada is now in his 70s. One of his pots can sell for $10,000, but the success story did not stop there. The entire economy of Mata Ortiz now rests on pottery, according to Gabriel Abrums of Chimayo Trading Del Norte in Ranchos de Taos. Abrums is hosting some of the finest Mata Ortiz potters this weekend, who will demonstrate how they build, decorate and fire pots.

Abrums, an expert in pueblo pottery, said one of the hallmarks of Mata Ortiz pottery is its variety and innovation. Not being bound by tribal tradition, these contemporary craftsman are free to be creative. In fact, Abrums said that for Mata Ortiz artists to be successful, each must find a bold signature style.

“If you know the artists, you can walk into a gallery anywhere and know instantly who made what”, said Abrums.

A Public Show

For the demonstration, six Mexican masters will bring some of their work from the last six months to sell. Using pots in different stages of completion, on Saturday they will demonstrate how they build and decorate a “green” pot. Then Sunday, their works are fired outside and sold. Abrums rarely has pieces left over.

Quezada won’t be in attendance at the demonstration but his youngest sister and niece, Lydia and Pabla Quezada, will be along with four more Mata Ortiz potters, each with a unique style that includes sculpted pots, black on black pots, intricate painting, unusual colors and the whimsical animal effigy pots of Nicolas Ortiz.

“This work is not as widely collected as (our) pueblo pottery, but it’s gaining”, said Abrums. “What amazes me is how many talented people there are in Mata Ortiz. Of the hundreds of artists there now, maybe 20 are considered the best”.

I’ve since learned how many people from New Mexico have traveled to Mata Ortiz—to buy pottery. For me, this tale is a kind of parable of what could happen if Americans did more to enourage the small, micro-economies of Mexican communities. From weaving to woodworking to pottery, Mexico’s beauty is abundant in both her lands and her people’s. It’s a shame to waste them.

To learn more about the Mata Ortiz story, Abrums lent me a book called “The Miracle of Mata Ortiz” by Walter P. Parks. Abrums has pictures of Mata Ortiz pottery at his website, chimayotrading.com.

WHAT: Fourth Annual Mata Ortiz Pottery show and demonstration
WHO: Lydia Quezada, Pabla Quezada, Nicolas Ortiz, Jorge Quintana, Laura Bugarini, Tavo Silveira
WHEN: Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
WHERE: Chimayo Trading Del Norte in the Saint Francis Church Plaza
CONTACT: Gabriel Abrums, 1-888-758-0504 chimayotrading.com

Mell is a freelance writer in Taos. You can email her at carolmell@msn.com. She blogs at http://www.newwest.net/humbugmountain.

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