Linda Tafoya-Sanchez 104th Annual Indian Market Award Winning Jar

This award-winning blackware jar by Linda Tafoya-Sanchez showcases exceptional craftsmanship, combining traditional Santa Clara hand-coiling and reduction firing with precise carving, intricate surface texturing, and stone polishing. The vertical, flowing ribbing carved into the elongated neck mirrors the diagonal carved grooves along the bottom base, creating an elegant rhythm.

This exceptional award-winning blackware jar features a tall, gracefully tapering neck deeply carved with flowing vertical fluting, balanced by diagonal melon-style ribbing along the lower base. The mid-body is decorated with a continuous band of carved turtle motifs set against a finely stippled, matte background. Each turtle shell is detailed with intricate geometric reliefs — including step patterns and spirals — and inset with small coral bead accents to highlight the eyes.

Adding a striking multi-textured visual element, a broad band below the neck, the vessel rim, and the entire interior are slipped in a natural micaceous clay. The fine mica flakes yield a warm, bronze-like shimmer that provides a rich visual contrast to the deep, mirror-polished blackware body. The jar was made using traditional hand-coiling and outdoor reduction firing techniques.

The 2026 Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA) award: The included ribbon confirms this jar received an Honorable Mention at the 104th Annual Santa Fe Indian Market, a testament to its artistic merit and technical execution. 

Linda Tafoya Sanchez (b. 1962) comes from one of the most celebrated dynasties in Native American pottery. She is the daughter of Lee Tafoya and granddaughter of the legendary Margaret Tafoya. She was also deeply influenced and taught by her aunt, Mary Ester Archuleta. This particular jar highlights how perfectly she honors the monumental, deeply carved legacy of the Tafoya family while inserting her own signature elegance, fine line work, and distinctive use of micaceous textures.

Condition: original excellent condition

Provenance: this Linda Tafoya-Sanchez 104th Annual Indian Market Award Winning Jar is from the artist

Recommended Reading: Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Lee and Betty Tafoya, Margaret Tafoya, Contemporary Southwest Indian Pottery, Mary Ester Archuleta, Linda Tafoya-Sanchez