Mary Ester Archuleta is the second youngest daughter of noted potter Margaret Tafoya.  This open bowl is carved and polished. The exterior and rim are polished tan, the clay’s natural color.  The interior has a carved rain cloud. The rain clouds is polished tan, while the surrounding area is polished a deep red.  Mary helped revive the red and tan coloration, through the help of her mother, when she married and moved to Ohkay Owingh in the 1960s. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Mary E. Archuleta.  It is in excellent condition with no cracks, restoration or repair.  There is one small chip near the base, which can be seen in the photos. While she no longer makes much pottery, her work is creative and distinctive in style and coloration.

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Archuleta, Mary Ester (b. 1942)

Mary Ester Archuleta

Mary Ester Archuleta is a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and a sister of renown potters Shirley Tafoya, Mela Youngblood, LuAnn Tafoya and Toni Roller. While growing up in Santa Clara, she married and moved to San Juan Pueblo in the 1960's. She was pivotal in the revival of San Juan incised pottery in the early 1970's and is one of the few potters who can stone polish the tan coloration on her pottery with such a high shine. Mary has never been a prolific potter and rarely made large vessels. While Mary no longer makes much pottery, she has won numerous awards for her pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market and has been written about in various books including, "Born of Fire."