Courtesy Wesley Bradfield Maria's work was exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Julian worked on site for Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett, director of the Museum of New Mexico. He was excavating in Frijoles Canyon in what is now Bandelier National Monument. In 1908, Dr. Hewett asked Maria to reproduce the ancestral Pueblo pottery he had found. That winter, Maria and Julian began making pottery for Dr. Hewett. Maria made the pots and Julian decorated and fired them. Together they introduced a distinctive highly-polished matte-on-black decoration for their vessels. They produced the blackware pottery by smothering the fire that reduced oxygen during the firing. Hewett liked the results so much that he helped them sell their work outside of the pueblo. It was the beginning of a new economic opportunity for many Pueblo craftspeople. The blackware became their trademark, and that of their extended family and other San Ildefonso and Santa Clara Pueblo potters. After Julian died in 1943, Santana, wife of their son Adam, did the decorating. Later a younger son, Popovi Da, took over decorating and firing. He became a highly-regarded potter in his own right. Many of Maria and Julian's descendants are respected potters today. Maria Martinez died on July 20, 1980. She remains one of the most famous Puebloan pottery makers to this day. |
Last updated: July 25, 2024