“Blue Corn” Crucita Gonzales Calabaza, 1921-1999

Using a variety of clays, colors, forms and techniques, Blue Corn produced a significant number of fine redware, blackware and polychrome pieces and by 1960, she was considered the matriarch responsible for the revival of polychrome pottery for her Pueblo. Known for a high polish which she said she achieved by polishing very slowly, she also used subtle clay colors to paint her favorite designs including feathers, rain clouds and the ubiquitous Avanyu (Tewa Water Snake).

The name Blue Corn was given to Crucita Gonzales Calabaza in a San Ildefonso naming ceremony by one of Maria Martinez’s sisters and the name would become one that echoes down through history. Under the tutelage of her grandmother, Blue Corn made her first clay pot at the age of 3 and her grandmother told her, “Your hands are made for pottery.”

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