Mata Ortiz is a small and unassuming town in Chihuahua, Mexico that you would not take a second glance at if driving by. The unassuming town holds a special secret though. It is the home of world renowned potters, a tradition that was started by Juan Quezada in the 1970s.
The town lies near Paquimé, an important archaeological site in northwest Mexico. Juan grew up collecting pottery shards from the area and was impressed by the artistry they exhibited. He began to experiment with how to replicate the process the civilization had used.
from my personal collection
from Wikipedia
I first learned about the story of Mata Ortiz attending a documentary festival in college. Later on I had the opportunity of visit the town while on a trip to visit the site of Paquimé for an anthropology class. I jumped at the chance to see the pottery first hand, though I had to convince my classmates that this was the best choice of activity for our free day. By the time we were headed back from town, they fully agreed we had made the right choice.
There are several styles of pottery produced in Mata Ortiz, including use of ivory white, reddish, and black colors. I personally find the black on black style of pottery to be the most distinctive and beautiful.
You can find pieces of the pottery made by those taught personally by Juan at many art galleries in the southwestern U.S. as well as northwestern Mexico.