Mary Ester Archuleta, Santa Clara Pueblo Potter

Mary Ester Archuleta is a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and the sister of LuAnn Tafoya, Toni Roller, Virginia Ebelacker, Jennie Trammel and Mela Youngblood. She married into San Juan Pueblo (Ohkay Owingeh) and was responsible for the revival of the San Juan incised pottery in the 1970s.

Although she was not a prolific potter, Mary Ester Archuleta (1942- ) has won multiple first prize awards at Santa Fe Indian Market in the 1970s. She preferred making redware pottery and was known for her amazing polished finish. Prize winning potter Linda Tafoya-Sanchez credits Archuleta, her aunt, with teaching her the fine art of pottery making.

Recommended Reading: Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Southwest Indian Pottery, Linda Tafoya-Sanchez, Margaret Tafoya, LuAnn Tafoya, Toni Roller, Virginia Ebelacker, Jennie Trammel, Mela Youngblood