The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-03-28
POTTERY OF YHE PUEBLoa
Old Mexican Tribes Which Seem to Hsvs
a Born Genius for Artistic W0ck.

OLd BIsxIcan Tribes Which Seem TO Have
Born Genius for Artistic Wocic.
Denver News.l
in the southwestern part of old Mex
ke). near the city of Guadalaia, on the
west side of the Sierra Madre noun
tains, is made the famous GUadalaJa
pottery by Indians who live IN nuts and
are but partly civilized. occasionally
they bring their wares into the city and
dispose of them in trade, but not often.
They are usually sought out by CORE
spondents or agents who have orders
TO buy them, and who seldom fail to
procure at least few pieces Of the pot.
terry when they are sent on these mis-
siOns.
Formerly the Indians did not care to
exchange their wares for money; they
preferred trading them for bright col
ored goods and provisions. but they
have long since learned that their goods
are valuable. and they can not now be
induced 10 part with them, except for
n good. round price. 1t Is said to be
novel sight, that of coming upon hut
UNEXPECTEDLY and watching unseen
group of Indians molding and putting
into shape the yellow clay from which
all their wares are made. The habits
Of these tribes are said by those who
have visited them TO be very clearly,
and one may sit down in a hut and
watch the Indians at their work with
perfect impunity, and tolerable de-
gree Of comfort. The old Mexican
tribes particularly seem 70 have born
genius or pottery making; their wares
are fine and finished, having silky
surface which is decorated with deli
cate traceries of birds and leaves usu-
ally done in gilt. These pieces are re-
markably beautiful, and remind one
wildly Of the work Of the ancient Euro
pean pOtters, save that the shapes are
usually ponderous, whereas the an
tiIue shapes are known Tor their slender
and graceful outlines.
There are three or four Indians In Ola
Mexico who are sculptors as well as pot
ters. a tourist who has travelled through
the country says that be stood for five
minutes before one of these gifted old
savages. who at the expiration of that
time had produced faithful copy of his
face in clay. The story seems almost
incredible, but il is known to be true
The Mexican traveller now has the bust
in his possession, and says it is as faith
full n likeness as an Italian sculptor
would cut out of marble for the alleged
reasonable compensation of s., OOO
Naturally these workers do not know
enough to put any semblance of a sigma
ture on their work, and a recent game
of the willy agents has been TO stamp 1t
with their names, thinking thus to gain
reputation and to increase the state of
their finances. The buyers, however,
were not easily deceived, and lost no
time in pnttlng an end to the attempted
sWindle.
The work of the New Mexican Indians
is crude, clumsy in shape, and awkward
in construction; the fine, small char
acter figures are all made by the natives
of Old Mexico, who initiate everything
they see in the cities, even to a game of
monte, or the figure of a native police
man or soldier. I he New Mexican pot
terry is mostly made by the squaws, and
although the work is characteristic and
unique there is not a suggestion of the
grace and finish about it that is seen il
completeness in the Guadalaia pottery.
The Pueblo Indians in New Mexico
make a cOmmOner kind of pottery,
which is very rough, of the original
clay color, and decorated with gro
tesuue figures in dull blue and green's
A unique piece in Pueblo pottery is a
water-cooler, which is a fiat, oval yes
sci, with handles on each side, through
which strings are run IN order to
suspend it at some height This vessel
is very thick, and is said to be the most
effective of all water-c coolers. Pottery
of all descriptions is sub ecte1 to a
baking process, which occupies fifty-six
hours. This gives the native artisan
time to rest. and furnishes the s uaws
with employment in making the fires,
which have to be kept at an even heat.
When a merchant desires q certain
piece of pottery he sends for a squaw
and shows her what he wants her to
initiate. she studies the 90 ect he
shows her carefully, goes to her hut,
and comes back In less than a week
with a crude like ness of the thing she
saw. These subjects are very often
fancy soaps, which are made in forms
of animals, flowers, etc. There are
little match boxes, which come in shapes
Of boots, shoes, slippers, or even stock
iDgs- all these are copied by the sQuaws,
and are often found among collections
VI pottery.