Cochiti & Santo Domingo Pottery

Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblos are neighbors, separated by the Rio Grande. Their customs are similar, their language is the same, but their pottery features totally different design styles. Santo Domingo designs consist of strong black bold geometrics. Cochiti pottery designs are fanciful and light in character. It is because of these differences that the gallery has put together a collection of over two dozen pieces of pottery from these pueblos as an exhibit the purpose of which is to highlight their differences.

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture also has an exhibit on display which examines the two different pottery traditions. Research has show that the two pueblos diverged in their pottery styles when tourist trade entered the picture. The Santo Domingo potters resisted change and continued their traditional designs while the Cochiti modified their designs to appeal to the art market. The exhibit A River Apart, at the Museum until this summer, examines the artists’ responses to influences from the outside world, as well as the culture, history and myths and legends of the Pueblo people. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is located at 710 Camino Lejo on Museum Hill and you can visit their website and special exhibit here: A River Apart exhibit.

Adobe Gallery Recommended Reading:
A River Apart:
The Pottery of Cochiti &
Santo Domingo Pueblos
(click here to view details of book)
by Valerie Verzuh, et al.
(Available from Adobe Gallery)