THE MAKING OF POTTERY AT SAN ILDEFONSO 



/)'// 111 rh( rt .J. Sjiiiidcii 



Till'] ruchlo Iii(li;iiis of Xcw Mexico and Ai'i/.ona lia\c liccii suWjcctcd 

 almost constantly to stronu l''iii-opcan influence since the ni( inorahle 

 expedition of ("oronado in l.")4(), yet they prohahly retain a larger 

 proportion of purely nati\e liahits of life than any other ,t,n-oup of Indians 

 in the United States. To be sure their luiinhers ha\-c (jwiiidjed j)itifully. 

 Only a few of the prosjicrous villa<;-es that the Spanish explorers found in 

 the valley of the Rio (iraiide and elsewhere in the Southwest have survived 

 till our time. But their <ireat comnuuial dwellings, their dress, and their 

 household arts are still distineti\-e. Among the western members the 

 ancient religion and social organization still hold sway as may be seen 

 by the famous Snake Dance of thcMoki, and in the \alley of the Rio Grande 

 many old time religious and social customs exist under a thin veneer of 



Christianity. Needless to 

 say, however, the commer- 

 cializing American contact 

 is rapidly destroying the 

 remains of the native 

 cidtm-e. 



The pueblo of Sau 

 lldefonso is beautifully 

 situated on the east bank 

 of the Rio Grande about 

 twenty miles northwest of 

 Santa Fe. To the east 

 rise tlu> lofty peaks that 

 mark the southern termi- 

 nation of the Sangre de 

 Cristo Range, while on the 

 opposite side are seen the 

 timber<HJ heights of the 

 Jemez Mountains. The 

 foothills on either hand 



CiTomonial bowl, used to liold sacred meal On tlie iii- 

 sicie, umior theterracwi rim, are two watiT snaUfs above 

 tlomed clouds from which descends a stri'um of water 

 upon terraced mountains. At either side are great 

 horned .snakes upon a starry field. The bottom of the present arid stretches of 

 bowl represents a circular valley surrounded by moun- reddish soil tllfted with 

 tains from which issue streams. In the valley is a lake, 



abounding with ducks. Similar figures are shown on the dwarfed cedar and other 

 outside of the bowl. Other ceremonial bowls frequently desert shrubs The river 

 show the sacred chiffonetti dancers and miraculous .... , 



animals such as the bear and mountain lion 

 192 



bordered by Cottonwood 



