M. S. Davis on sun 7 jul 96
We returned several days ago from a visit to Mata Ortiz - and are still
in a state of euphoria! Our anticipation and expectations were more
than fulfilled, though the very first thought that crossed our minds as
we jostled over the last 12 miles of dirt road through the desert with
its corduroy ribbing and stones and saw the village nestled among the
mountains was: "How did we get ourselves into this?"
It was a real adventure (and we are world travelers who have been
around). We stayed at the Posada de las Ollas (Inn of Pots) in order to
experience the flavor and ambience of this charming village of 2,000
people, rather than stay in Nuevo Casas Grandes some 25 miles away in one
of the hotels with their modern amenities and swimming pools.
How did we latch on to the "nitty gritty" of getting to Mata Ortiz, this
village of some 300 potters? By referring to a post more than half a
year ago on CLAYART suggesting we look at the home page of Mike
Williams who wrote his Master's thesis in Anthropology on Mata Ortiz and has
devoted himself to the village for the last few years. For those of you
on the Internet here it is again:
http://www.goodnet.com/~mataort/matahp.html
Otherwise you can reach him by e-mail at:
canuck8590@aol.com
He was the key that opened all the doors for us and we are happy to pass the
key along to all of you.
For those not familiar with Mata Ortiz we heartily recommend the
book, "The Miracle of Mata Ortiz: Juan Quezada and the Potters of
Northern Chihuahua" by Walter P. Parks (published by Coulter Press,
1993). It is a remarkable story of how one remarkable man rediscovered
and reconstructed the art of pottery some 30 years ago by studying
the shards he found as a child around Paquime, the ruins found near old Casas
Grandes. He then taught his relatives and fellow villagers to create
beautiful pottery so that now there are some 300 potters in
this poor village of 2,000 people whose standard of living has improved
and continues to do so. Mata Ortiz pottery is now beginning to be seen
everywhere. We saw a display in Bethlehem, PA, about two months ago.
Our first exposure to it was several years ago when we saw some Mata
Ortiz pots in the Heard Museum in Phoenix and a couple of years later
saw another display in a gallery in Albuquerque and purchased the book
by Rick Cahill entitled "The Story of Casas Grandes Pottery" (published
by Boojum Books, 1950). Please refer to the CLAYART post on June 28 by Ed
Pierce about Juan Quezada workshops.
What an unforgettable experience!
Dorothy and Morris Davis
Chapel Hill, N.C.
msd@unc.edu
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