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ANASAZI POTTERY

 

Pueblo Bonito (rendering) - Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

   

    Excellent information from the Logan Museum of Anthropology on line from Beloit, Wisconsin

All text and images are used courtesy of the Logan Museum of Anthropology, Beloit College
( http://www.beloit.edu/~museum//logan/index.html).
All objects illustrated are in the permanent collection of the Logan Museum.

 

Anasazi culture was widespread and considerable variety exists within pottery. Archaeologists have categorized Anasazi pottery types into a number of wares, or groups of pottery types which share the majority of structural and decorative features. Within each ware, a historical sequence can be traced from the beginnings of Anasazi culture to the end. 


Tusayan Gray Ware
This utility ware is found in the northeastern quarter of Arizona. 
 

Material: The clay is gray to buff 
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Carbon-based in the west, iron-based in the east 
Firing: Reducing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls and globular jars


Tsegi Series

Lino Gray — 500 - 800
Basketmaker III/Early Pueblo I

One of the earliest widespread pottery types, this  Tusayan Gray Ware type served as a primary utility ware throughout Basketmaker III and Early Pueblo I.


Lino Fugitive Red — 550 - 800
Basketmaker III/Early Pueblo I

In this variety of Lino Gray, the earliest attempts at providing vessels with a red slip were less than successful. It soon abraded or washed away, leaving only traces.


Lino Black-on-Gray — 550 - 850
Basketmaker III/Early Pueblo I

This was one of the first painted whitewares. The painted decoration on this Tusayan White Ware type resembles those found on baskets.


Kana-a Gray — 865 - 1050
Late Pueblo I/ Early Pueblo II

Kana-a Gray is characterized by neckbanding, a series of three to six corrugations encircling the neck of jars. 


Rio Grande Series

Rosa Black-on-White — 1000 - 1130
Late Pueblo II

Rosa Black-on-White was one of the formative types in the San Padro Mountains area to the northwest of Santa Fe. 


Tusayan White Ware
This decorated ware is found in the northeastern quarter of Arizona. 

Material: The clay is medium to light gray 
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Organic-based on polished unslipped or on white slip 
Firing: Neutral to reducing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls, jars, canteens, scoops, seed jars, pitchers, effigies, ladles


Kayenta Series

Kana-a Black-on-White — 825 - 1000
Late Pueblo I

Further sophistication in decoration and organic paint characterize this type.


Black Mesa Black-on-White — 1000 - 1100
Pueblo II

This was the parallel to Red Mesa in the Tusayan White Ware tradition. Painted decoration is very similar, but organic paint was employed.


Sosi Black-on-White — 1070 - 1180
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

Similar to Flagstaff Black-on-White in design, patterns are usually bolder and larger in this Tusayan White Ware type. Interlocking barbed lines are typical of the style.


Dogoszhi Black-on-White — 1040 - 1220
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

This was one of several similar Tusayan White Ware types produced in  the Chaco Canyon area characterized by wide bands of hatching without solid elements.


Flagstaff Black-on-White — 1150 - 1220
Early Pueblo III

Designs tend to be smaller and busier than those of Sosi Black-on-White, many of the motifs multiplied throughout in this Tusayan White Ware type.


Tusayan Black-on-White — 1200 - 1300
Late Pueblo III

This type is characterized by banded decoration composed of large solids separated by parallel lines. Dotted triangles are reminiscent of Black Mesa Black-on-White. 


Kayenta Black-on-White — 1200 - 1300
Late Pueblo III

Kayenta Black-on-White is one of the finest wares produced in the Tusayan area. Designs are banded and negative-painted.


Little Colorado White Ware
This ware is found in the narrow strip flanking the Little Colorado River as it runs through northern Arizona. 

Material: The clay is generally dark, and may refire to red
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Organic, on kaolinite slip 
Firing: Neutral to reducing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls and jars


Holbrook Black-on-White — 1050 - 1150
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

Bold designs and broad lines distinguish this Little Colorade White Ware type, similar to Black Mesa Black-on-White, but differing in paste and temper.


Walnut B Black-on-White — 1200 - 1250
Early Pueblo III

Interlocking, hooked scrolls, negative painting and banded designs separated by parallel lines signal the B variety of this Little Colorado White Ware type.


Leupp Black-on-White — 1200 - 1250
Pueblo III

Large fields of small, closely-spaced elements, particularly dotted squares, exemplify this relatively rare Little Colorado White Ware type.


Mesa Verde White Ware
This ware is found primarily in the southwest corner of Colorado in the area around Mesa Verde.

Material: The clay is gray to white
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Organic on pearly gray-white slip 
Firing: Reducing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls, jars, ladles, scoops and, particularly, mugs


McElmo Black-on-White — 1100 - 1200
Early Pueblo III

The only Cibola White Ware type with organic paint, designs tend to be linear and solid, often painted in the Flagstaff Style.


Mesa Verde Black-on-White — 1200 - 1300
Late Pueblo III

The organic paints used in the Mesa Verde tradition and the pearly white slips make this type quite distinctive.


Pajarito Gray Ware
This ware is found in the northern Rio Grande area, around Santa Fe and in the Jemez Mountains. 

Material: The clay is gray to brown 
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Mineral-based on white slip 
Firing: Reducing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls and jars


Pajarito Series

Santa Fe Black-on-White — 1200 - 1300
Late Pueblo III

Santa Fe Black-on-White is found in the Upper Rio Grande area. It is derived from earlier types, Gallina and Kwahe's Black-on-White, but has a better slip and is more carefully smoothed.


Cibola White Ware
Cibola White Wares are found in east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico.

Material: The clay is white to dark gray 
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Mineral-based on white slip 
Firing: Reducing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls, jars, effigies, ladles, scoops, seed jars and canteens


Puerco-Chaco Series

La Plata Black-on-White — 550 - 725
Basketmaker III

La Plata Black-on-White is the earliest of the painted Cibola White Wares.


White Mound Black-on-White — 700 - 900
Pueblo I

This Cibola White Ware type was one of the first to demonstrate a more sophisticated organization in painted decoration.


Kiatuthlanna Black-on-White — 850 - 950
Late Pueblo I/Early Pueblo II

Higher sophistication in decoration and mineral paint make this the counterpart to Kana-a for the Cibola White Ware tradition.


Red Mesa Black-on-White — 900 - 1050
Early Pueblo II

This was the dominant black-on-white type in the Cibola White Ware tradition during this period. Designs continue to be more elaborate, executed in mineral paint.


Gallup Black-on-White — 1030 - 1125
Late Pueblo II

This Cibola White Ware type has designs similar to those found in the Chaco area, but they include occasional solid elements and were executed in mineral paint.


Chaco Black-on-White — 1075 - 1150
Late Pueblo II

This type was made in the Chaco Canyon area during the peak of Chacoan supremacy. Most designs consist of interlocking hatched bands.


Puerco Black-on-White — 1030 - 1150
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

The designs on this Cibola White Ware type consist of linear and negative-painted solid elements, occasional set off by panels of hatching.


Escavada Black-on-White — 1000 - 1130
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

Escavada Black-on-White usually carries bold motifs executed in broad lines and these decorations are generally based on triangles.


San Juan Series

Mancos Black-on-White — 900 - 1050
Early Pueblo II

Mancos Black-on-White is found in the Mesa Verde area, east of Mesa Verde National Park. Mancos patterns tend to consist of wide bands of hatched elements as opposed to the bolder  contemporary McElmo patterns.


White Mountain Red Ware
This ware is found in the east-central part of Arizona and west-central part of New Mexico.   

Material: The clay is white to gray, or yellow to orange 
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Mineral or organic-based, (glaze paints are late) on thick limonite or hematite slip. 
Firing: Oxidizing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls, jars, pitchers, dippers, canteens, effigies


Zuni Series
Wingate Black-on-Red — 1050 - 1200
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

Designs for this White Mountain Red Ware type consist primarily of interlocking solid and hatched elements, executed in organic paint on a dark red slip.


Puerco Black-on-Red — 1030 - 1150
Late Pueblo II/Early Pueblo III

Puerco Black-on-Red has interlocking frets, dotted triangles, broad lines, stripes, stepped parallel lines and interlocking scroll triangles may be arranged in continuous bands around the vessel.


Wingate Polychrome — 1125 - 1225
Early Pueblo III

Wingate Polychrome is Wingate Black-on-Red with white and red designs on the exterior. Early examples are Houck variety, later version Querino variety.


St Johns Black-on-Red — 1150 - 1300
Early Pueblo III/Late Pueblo III

This type is the redware equivalent of Tularosa Black-on-white, fired in an oxidizing atmosphere to achieve a red ground.


St Johns Polychrome — 1150 - 1300
Early Pueblo III/Late Pueblo III

This type is the same as St Johns Black-on-Red, but the exteriors of bowls have added decoration executed in white paint.


St Johns Glaze Polychrome — 1200 - 1300
Late Pueblo III

This type is the result of the introduction of glaze paints, which provided richer, glossier colors, late in the history of St Johns Polychrome.


San Juan Orange Ware
This ware is found in the southeast corner of Utah, along the San Juan Basin. 

Material: The clay is red to brown
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Mineral-based 
Firing: Oxidizing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls and jars

La Plata Black-on-Orange — 750 - 900
Early Pueblo I/Late Pueblo I

La Plata Black-on-Orange is the earliest black-on-red type in the northern plateau area. Vessels were slipped and were fired in an oxidizing atmosphere.


Abajo Red-on-Orange — 700 - 900
Early Pueblo I/Late Pueblo I

An unusual Tsegi Orange Ware type found in southeastern Utah, this pottery was perhaps the earliest Anasazi redware, and may have been inspired by Mogollon types.


Tsegi Orange Ware
This ware is found in the northernmost part of Arizona, north of Flagstaff. 

Material: The clay is yellow to orange 
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Manganese-based on bright red slip 
Firing: Oxidizing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls


Black Mesa Series

Tusayan Black-on-Red — 1000 - 1300
Late Pueblo II/Pueblo III

This was one of the earliest Tsegi Orange Wares in the Tusayan area, and also the first to employ designs composed primarily of hatched elements.


Tusayan B Polychrome — 1100 - 1300
Pueblo III

Wide red bands outlined in black are characteristic of this Tsegi Orange Ware type, but while the A variety has solid designs between the bands, the B variety also contains hatching.


Little Colorado Series

Deadmans Black-on-Red — 800 - 1000
Late Pueblo I/Early Pueblo II

Deadmans Black-on-Red was one of the first black-on-red types in the northern plateau area. The decoration, which generally consisted of coarse lines, wide bands and triangles, was often polished over before firing, blurring it slightly.


Hopi Series

Jeddito Black-on-Orange — 1275 - 1400
Pueblo IV

Jeddito Black-on-Orange was the first of a long line of Hopi yellow wares. It differs from later Jeddito Black-on-Yellow in both the more formal geometric designs and darker paste color.


Jeddito Yellow Ware
This distinctive ware is fairly easy to recognize, and is considered the ancestor of historic Hopi wares. 

Material: The clay is hard, fine and yellow.
Construction: Coiled-and-scraped
Paint: Manganese-based, fires brown to black 
Firing: Oxidizing atmosphere
Forms: Bowls and jars

Jeddito Black-on-Yellow — 1300 - 1625
Pueblo IV

A precursor to the historic Hopi types, the Jeddito Yellow Ware type has asymmetrical patterns and is painted on both interior and exterior.


Jeddito Spattered — 1300 - 1625
Pueblo IV

The interiors of vessels of this Jeddito Yellow Ware type are painted by spattering pigment onto the surface.


Bidahochi Polychrome — 1320 - 1400
Pueblo IV

This Jeddito Yellow Ware type is characterized by white outlining around bold designs emphasizing linear and solid elements.

From: http://www.beloit.edu/~museum/logan/southwest/anasazi/anasazi.htm

   

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