caption movement death_date death_place birth_name birth_place imagesize nationality field birth_date image article_title name bgcolour
maria circa 1948 martinez , shown with physicist enrico fermi , san ildefonso school 1980 san ildefonso pueblo , new mexico maria antonia montoya san ildefonso pueblo , new mexico 300px tewa , native american pottery , ceramics 1887 agnew mariamartinezandenricofermi.jpg maria martinez
 maria montoya martinez # 6495ed
maria martinez

maria montoya martinez -lrb- 1887 , san ildefonso pueblo , new mexico -- july 20 , 1980 , san ildefonso pueblo -rrb- was a native american artist who created internationally known pottery .
martinez -lrb- born maria antonia montoya -rrb- , her husband julian , and other family members examined traditional pueblo pottery styles and techniques to create pieces which reflect the pueblo people 's legacy of fine artwork and crafts .
martinez was from the san ildefonso pueblo , a community located 20 miles northwest of santa fe , new mexico .
at an early age , she learned pottery skills from her aunt .
during this time , spanish tinware and anglo enamelware had become readily available in the southwest , making the creation of traditional cooking and serving pots less necessary .
traditional pottery making techniques were being lost , but martinez and her family experimented with different techniques and helped preserve the cultural art .
