Pre-Columbian Paquimé Casas Grandes Polychrome Jar [SOLD]

Much has been written about New Mexico and Arizona pottery but so little has been published about the pottery from the other southwest—that is the large area south of the United States border which is now the Chihuahua area of Mexico. In prehistoric times, before there was a division between the two countries' borders, that was considered a part of the Greater Southwest cultures.

One of the best studied pottery areas in Chihuahua is the pueblo of Paquimé.  Magnificent pottery was produced there in the 1200-1450 periods.  It was the discovery of pottery from Paquimé that inspired the revival of pottery in the 20^th century known now as Mata Ortiz pottery.

We marvel today at how thin-walled the Mata Ortiz wares are but their precedents were equally thin-walled.  Why?  Perhaps clay was scarce or clay beds were long distances from the pueblo or perhaps the potters just were expert at creating thin-walled vessels.

This pottery from Paquimé has been given the name Ramos Polychrome, a designation we have assigned to this jar.  Near the end of the 250-year Paquimé period, some vessels have been discovered with "kill holes" resembling that from the Mimbres cultures of New Mexico.  These Paquimé vessels with "kill holes" have been designated as Carretas Polychrome, a sub-category of Ramos Polychrome.

Condition:  the jar is structurally strong.  There has been one shard replaced in the rim and a plaster wedge inserted next to it.  There is a crack from the rim down the shoulder but it is stable. 

Provenance:  from the collection of Katherine H. Rust

Recommended Reading: 

• The Desert Southwest: Four Thousand Years of Life and Art by Allan Hayes and Carol Hayes
• Secrets of Casas Grandes, edited by Melissa S. Powell