Nature Treks & Passages - Mata Ortiz, Mexico

ata Ortiz, a remote, rustic village of dirt streets and adobe houses, originally grew up around a prospering U.S./Canadian-owned lumber mill next to a railroad line. First known as "Pearson", it boasted the second largest sawmill in North America. In 1925 the Mexican government named the town Mata Ortiz in honor of a Mexican army officer who fought off Apaches in the area during the late 1800s. In the early 1960s the railroad yard was moved to a nearby city and thereafter the town's economy fell into a slump. In the 1970s Juan Quezada rediscovered and revised the ancient art of pottery making, recreating methods and designs used by the Paquime Indians. Mata Ortiz

Today artists in Mata Ortiz make pottery with traditional designs and develop new interpretations and styles. Of approximately 500 adults who live in the town, over half are potters. The high quality of their pottery attracts the attention of museums, traders, collectors, tourists, and retailers.

MATA ORTIZ POTTERY

he Mata Ortiz phenomenon is best defined as a sophisticated contemporary art movement with roots in a pre-Hispanic culture. But since no pottery had been made in this area for more than five centuries, how did it originate? Juan Quezada, a poor Mexican inhabitant of the rural village of Mata Ortiz, recreated his ceramic art form through observation and experimentation.

As a young teenager, Juan gathered firewood in the hills around his hometown near the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in the state of Chihuahua. He also found pottery shards on the ground and wondered about the ancient people who made them. He had no instruction nor had he ever seen a pot being made. His only teachers were the shards. After years of failures, he found the exact formula of clay, building technique, pigments, and firing to create the famous handmade, thin-walled, light weight ceramics known for their symmetry and intricately painted designs in red and black. A truly generous soul, Juan taught his techniques to his family members first and then to many of his neighbors.

In 1976 there were 12 potters in Mata Ortiz. Today there are close to 350. The economic impact on this impoverished town has been remarkable. As a direct result of Juan's talent, his family and neighbors have the opportunity for a better life. Second generation potters have entered the field, having grown up with their hands in clay. Many of these potters are developing innovative styles and designs and are improving the quality of these world famous ceramics. Owners of Juan's pottery include the Pope, Japanese and German collectors, and great museums around the world.

THE PROCESS

ottery making in all traditions and from all ages can be broken down into four distinct steaps. (1) The clay is found and processed. (2) The pot is formed from the processed clay. (3) The pot is decorated by painting or incising. (4) The pot is heated to a certain temperature to harden.

The various colored clays are found around Mata Ortiz with the necessary temper of volcanic ash to give it structure as it dries and is fired. In forming the pot, trial and error rather than instruction seem to be the standard way to learn the craft, but certain standard techniques are used. First a rounded mold is ued to form the bottom of the pot. Then a fat coil or chorizo of clay is placed directly on top of the bottom. This is pinched up and rotated over and over. NO pottery wheel is ever used! A hacksaw blade is sed to even out the clay. After air-drying, the pot is sanded perfectly smooth.

Most of the paints used are reds from iron oxides and blacks from manganese; both minerals occur naturally around Mata Ortiz. The paintbrushes are made from a few very straight strands of human hair, usually from a young girl. These are tied to the end of a stick, the brush handles, with a common thread. The hairs of the brush are one and one half to two inches long. The technique is to lay the long strands loaded with paint on the pot surface and pull it through to create a line. Then the outlines of the design are filled in with a thicker brush. After the paint has dried, the pot is polished with a polishing stone for a final time to set the paint.

Firing is the moment of truth! One pot at a time is fired by placing it on three pieces of brick on the ground. A cover is placed over it, usually either a bucket or a large terr-cotta flowerpot. This is the kiln - not the modern one we think of. Around it, dried cow chips are stacked carefully in a beehive shape. Kerosene is splashed on it and is lighted. After burning for 20 to 30 minutes, the residue of the fuel is knocked away, exposing the kiln. After removing the pot, it gradually cools in the kitchen oven. Most potters etch their signature into the bottoms of the pots.