Adobe Gallery Blog
Ohkay Owingeh - San Juan Pueblo Historic Large Black Storage Jar - SC3816B
The arrival of the Spaniards in the late 1500s had very little effect on pottery production at the pueblos in either shape or design, but by the 1700s, there were noticeable changes. Still later, with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821 and the arrival of the transcontinental railroad in 1880, change became inevitable at pueblos located close to the non-Indian populations.
San Juan Pueblo is located only 6 miles from Espanola, New Mexico, and was the area chosen by the Spaniards as the first capitol of their northern territory. They eventually relocated their headquarters to Santa Fe. Even though San Juan was near a population center, there was very little, if any, effect on its pottery styles. The only effect was its almost complete cessation in the late 1800s, however, what little was produced stayed the same until the 1930s when change eventually appeared for commercial purposes.