About Mata Ortiz Fine Pottery

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The resurrection of the ancient Casas Grande Pottery took place in the early 1960s when a then young man by the name of Juan Quezada would travel by burro some distance across the Chihuahuan high desert and up into the San Luis Mountains to collect firewood to sell upon his return to his hometown of Mata Ortiz.  His passage would take him past an ancient site of Paquime where once existed an advanced culture and what was once a sprawling civilization with multi-story buildings and talented artisans that fashioned an extremely high quality and beautiful pottery.   The Casa Grandes civilization flourished in Paquime between the thirteenth century until the mid-fifteenth century; some believe that Paquime’s early beginnings may date as far back as 1000 BC.  As early as 1584, Baltazar de Obregon’s published description of Casas Grandes recognized it as one of the largest and most important communities in the huge area, which is now the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. 

As Juan would pass through the Paquime area he would find remaining pottery shards that still demonstrated the quality and the beauty of the original artisans work.  With each evening during his trips to the San Luis Mountains and again when he returned to Mata Ortiz, Juan would study the growing number of ancient pieces of broken Casas Grandes pottery and he tried to understand how the pottery was constructed.  Each trip would reveal more information as to where the ancient clay was collected and where the minerals and dies were obtained to make the designs that decorated each pot.  Juan experimented with making pots but each time he “fired” the pot it would break.  He experimented with the clay recipe until he found the right match of clay, sands, and other additives that would allow the pot to exit the firing process intact.  Keep in mind that there were no potter’s wheels with which to construct the pots.  So, it was verified that the ancient potters of Casas Grandes used the coil, pinch and scrape methodology for each pots construction. 

Juan Quezada kept up his quest to master the ancient pottery making techniques that were before him, all as a pastime activity since he needed to provide for his now growing family.  His skills continued to grow until he was able to craft truly representative pieces based upon his growing knowledge of the ancient art he was following.  By the time he had matured to a young man, and without any instruction, Juan had recreated the entire ceramic technology from clay preparation, to firing, using only the shards to guide him. 

He took several pieces to Deming, New Mexico and placed them on consignment with a junk store located there.  In 1976 an American trained in anthropology and art history, Spencer MacCallum, discovered three of the pots in the store just north of the border in Deming.  MacCallum had no idea what they were but their artistic integrity came across so powerfully that he knew he had made an important discovery.  MacCallum began a search for the potter who had made them, a search that finally brought him to a small town in Chihauhua known as Mata Ortiz.  It was a magic moment for both and started a relationship that brought this persistent young artisan in contact with perhaps the one man that could bring Juan the recognition and the fame that he so richly deserved. By now, Juan’s success had drawn the interest of his family, his extended family and many of Juan’s friends.  They spent hours learning the ways that Juan could recreate the skills of the ancient potters.  Today, there are many skilled artisans in Mata Ortiz and many more that are still learning the skill.

Today, you will find many different levels of quality that one would expect from this growing group of artisans.  Yet, it is still the seasoned artisan whose pottery remains in such demand.  Yet, each day one may discover a new artisan that has achieved the beauty and integrity of design and construction that has become synonymous with the high quality of Mata Ortiz Pottery.

A few years ago some admirers became concerned that Mata Ortiz might slide to become a repetitive creation of lesser quality, like so many similar artistic movements have in the past.  However, from the beginning, both Juan Quezada and Spencer MacCallum have emphasized high quality, and newer traders for the most part have picked up the expectation that this emphasis remain at the forefront of the Mata Ortiz movement.  Thus, they have only purchased the best examples of the Mata Ortiz art and the quality challenge remains alive.

Juan Quezada and the early students have been featured in many exhibitions across the United States and around the world.  His reputation for strict adherence to the ancient ways is favored, yet some experimentation is cherished as a way of growing the art beyond its current day boundaries.  As such, it ensures a continuing availability of new ideas and growth beyond its current form.

Pieces from Mata Ortiz remain in high demand and examples are found in museums, galleries, and private collections around the world.  Today, selected pieces may be found in private collections including those of Sandra Day O’Connor, Laura Bush, and Pope John Paul II.

  
      

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