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Maria Martinez was born in the 1880s and lived for almost 100
years at San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. The matriarch of five generations, she had 13 grandchildren, 32
great-grandchildren, and 19 great-great-grandchildren, many of whom also became well-known potters. In her
lifetime, she shared her talents, traditionally reserved for women, with an entire pueblo.
Maria first learned pottery in the traditional way by watching her Aunt Nicolasa. In 1908 Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett,
the Director of the Museum of New Mexico, asked Maria to reproduce ancient pots that had been unearthed during an
excavation. Maria re-created the shapes and forms, and her husband Julian figured out a technique using sheep dung
and old license plates in the firing to produce a dark smoky finish. The exquisite black-on-black pots were soon in
great demand.
Maria became known as "the Pueblo Potter," who proudly owned the first automobile on the pueblo, and whose fame
brought her invitations to world's fairs, introductions to presidents, and two honorary degrees, one from the
University of Colorado. Many of Maria's relatives, including daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters,
have become well known potters as a result of her influence. To this day, her family continues her legacy in San
Ildefonso.
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