The Pottery of Mata Ortiz: Juan Quezada Revives the Art of the Ancients

High in the Sierras' Casas Grandes Valley of the northern state of Chihuahua, Mexico, lies the once sleepy village of Mata Ortiz. Sleeping no longer, thanks to the artist Juan Quezada, Mata Ortiz has exploded onto the modern art world as the Artistic Cultural Center of Mexico.

Over 40 years ago, while searching for firewood, the child Juan began collecting and studying prehistoric pueblo pottery shards he would find wile on his searches. The shards were remnants of the ancient civilization of Paquimé Indians that had occupied the site 600 years earlier. Intrigued by what he found, Juan spent many years experimenting with the local clays and minerals, developing his own style and techniques through nothing more than his own artistic intuition. Unknowingly, Juan taught himself to recreate the techniques of the ancients, using nothing from today’s world, building his ollas in traditional coil-method, using plants and minerals for color, hand-made human hair brushes for applying designs, and dried dung to fire his pots.

Providential intervention sent the anthropologist Spencer MacCallum into Bob’s Swap Shop, Deming, Colorado, in 1976. There he discovered 3 pots that had been traded for used clothing. Immediately recognizing the quality of the work, this launched MacCallum on a search for their creator. Ultimately, this search led him to the village of Mata Ortiz, and the doorstep of Juan Quezada.

A collaboration began, which continues today, of introducing this fine ceramic work to the world at large. Since that time, Juan has gone on to train family and village members in the ceramic techniques he uses. This has blossomed into a 400+ strong community of artists that are quickly leaving their mark on the art world. Today, Mata Ortiz Pottery is recognized as some of the finest pottery produced anywhere in the world!