Ceramics from Chihuahua

Mata Ortiz

Juan Mata Ortiz is a town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, about 35 kilometers southwest of Casas Grandes, near the ruins of Paquimé and Colonia Juárez. It is famous for the pottery made there.

The town is named after Juan Mata Ortiz, a soldier from Chihuahua who distinguished himself fighting the Apache tribes in the 19th century until he was killed in an ambush. It lies in a valley on the banks of the Casas Grandes River, at the foot of a hill known as “El Indio”.

Mata Ortiz has earned national and international recognition thanks to its local artisans, led by Juan Quezada Celado, who rediscovered and promoted the region's pottery in 1976. They revived the tradition of the ancient inhabitants of Paquimé, making vessels in the same style and decoration as those of the Oasisamerica culture, which spanned northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

The vessels, inspired by archaeological pieces, use traditional materials and methods. Mata Ortiz pottery is sold nationally and internationally and has turned the town into a tourist destination, with pottery as its main economic activity. Techniques include full reduction firing and smoke-firing, and graphite, applied both as a slip and as a dry powder over the burnished pieces.

To make the vessels, potters shape the clay in a plaster mold, refine the form and thin the walls with hand tools, giving each piece a unique tactile quality.