Born in 1944 at Cochiti Pueblo, Martha Arquero has been producing clay figures and pots since 1977. Like her equally renowned sister, Marie Laweka, she is best known for her figurines and storytellers. Both sisters learned the craft from their mother, Damacia Cordero. Dr. Greg Schaaf wrote, "Martha is on her way to becoming one of the great Cochiti pottery figure makers. She follows the tradition of her mother Damacia, Helen Cordero and many more." A photograph of Martha and examples of her work are shown on pages 57 & 58 of Dr. Gregory Schaaf's book Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2,000 Artist Biographies.

In calling this piece an olla, we are adhering to Allan Hayes' and John Blom's definition as, "...a great big jar, basketball-sized or larger." (Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni, Northland Publishing, 1991, p. 13). This piece is typical of the painting style and slip finish of Martha's figures. It is, however, very atypical in its size, for Martha seldom makes pots this size and certainly most of her efforts are concentrated on making figures. This is a thick-walled pot and weighs in at just under twelve pounds. The turtle motif is repeated on opposite sides of the pot, as is the large raincloud motif. Other representations include a snake, a lizard, a quail, feathers and smaller rainclouds below the turtles. Like the pottery of neighboring Santo Domingo Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo clay is red. This is natural paint made from wild spinach which is applied to the grayish-white layer of slip clay before firing.

          Height: 12 1/4"          Largest diameter: 12"          Opening: 6 1/4"

                   Largest girth: 36 1/2"          Bottom: 6 3/8" diameter

*Note on shipping: All pottery shipped to foreign destinations is subject to additional charge for shipping and insurance to the destination. S & H calculated by the website for pottery purchases only applies to delivery in the U.S. Foreign buyers please inquire about shipping costs for specific pieces before purchasing.