Mata Ortiz Ceramics

It’s fascinating to think that the potters who lived in Paquimé over 600 years ago and those working in Mata Ortiz today share a timeless legacy: the soil.

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The soil has shown modern potters the secrets of clay, its minerals, and fuels, helping them craft their beautiful and unique designs.

Mata Ortiz Ceramics

Stunning Mexican ceramics from Mata Ortiz

These ceramics are unique, made by talented Mexican potters who are famous worldwide. Thanks to the dedication of master potter Juan Quezada and the support of anthropologist Spencer MacCallum, this craft has flourished in the region.

Mata Ortiz ceramics are inspired by the ancient Paquimé culture, which means “big houses” in Nahuatl, the native language.

The Paquimé culture thrived in Casas Grandes, part of Oasisamerica, now located in northern Chihuahua, Mexico. This culture was perfectly adapted to its environment, using clay for everything from household items to building their homes, which still stand today.

Juan Quezada Celado

Juan Quezada Celado, a famous Mexican potter, started creating these beautiful ceramics when he was just 14. He found ancient Paquimé pottery in a cave while collecting firewood and decided to study and recreate them. This led to a creative journey, developing a complex process to make high-quality polychrome pots.

Mata Ortiz ceramics come in various clay colours, including white, red, orange, yellow, mixed, and black. Potters find pure white clay the hardest to work with, but the most skilled ones, like Juan Quezada, achieve amazing results with it.

Every Mata Ortiz pot is moulded, polished, and painted by hand. Juan Quezada says perfecting the dyes has been the biggest challenge. The pots are painted with minerals and clays from nearby mountains, using the same colours as the ancient Paquimé culture—mainly reds and blacks, with the deep black being the toughest to get just right.

The intricate lines on Mata Ortiz ceramics are painted with a tiny brush made from about ten or twenty children’s hairs. Juan and his brother tried feathers and animal hairs, but only children’s hair gave the lines a “sense of movement.”

Cultural Legacy

Today, Juan Quezada’s family and others in the region continue making these pots, using different clays and colours, always inspired by the Paquimé legacy. Their designs reflect a deep love and respect for nature.

Having a piece of Mata Ortiz pottery is truly inspiring. It’s a connection to ancient knowledge and the respect those cultures had for nature.

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