Isleta Pueblo Silver Cross Necklace [SOLD]

Early Spanish accounts of Pueblo use of the cross as an important symbol describe its use in pottery, adornment and in other areas such as prayer sites and burials. Chroniclers mistakenly believed the Pueblos had somehow magically received the Christian significance of the cross, where, in reality, the Spanish were only looking at prayer sticks and cross adornments which had been used since prehistoric times.  Evidence of prehistoric and pre-Spanish use of the cross icon was found throughout the Southwest by archeologists studying the area in the late 1800s. The double-barred cross is frequently referred to as a dragonfly. It is easy to see why a creature which symbolizes water would be so important to the Pueblo people.

Prior to working with silver, Pueblo artisans used copper and bronze to make bracelets and necklaces. Around the middle of the 19^th Century, both Navajo and Pueblo people began to use silver. By the late 1800s, cross necklaces had become popular at the Pueblos.

According to Allison Bird, there is conflicting theories about the origin of the heart double-barred pendant found at the bottom of such necklaces. Early photographs show the double-bar cross with a heart only at Acoma, Laguna, and the Tewa Pueblos. She states, however, that John Adair found necklaces at Isleta with large pendant hearts of the same style. It could be that this style, which is on this necklace, arrived later.

Isleta cross necklaces generally feature an abundance of small single bar crosses which are strung with silver beads, coral or turquoise.  This necklace has 14 small crosses and one large one.  It is strung on string, probably original to the necklace, and has a turquoise stone tied to the back of the necklace.  Pendants of this sort are often added to jewelry made by and meant for use of the owner.  It was not a custom for items meant to be sold to non-Indians.  It is difficult to place a date on a necklace of this sort, but it is likely that it dates to the early 20^th century, perhaps circa 1910-1920.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Isleta Pueblo Silver Cross Necklace sold by Adobe Gallery to one of our East Coast clients in 1990 and now available for sale again.

Reference and Recommended Reading:

-        Heart of the Dragonfly: The Historical Development of the Cross Necklaces of the Pueblo and Navajo Peoples by Allison Bird, Avanyu Publishing, 1992.

-        The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths by John Adair, University of Oklahoma Press, 1944