Even small geometric motives have a realistic in- 

 terpretation as well as a descriptive term: I — rafters, 

 or sloping lines: 2 — slings or diamonds; 3 — little 

 clouds or scallops; 4 little li ills or sharp points 



Symbolic of the rainbow. Upper diamonds are scat>- 

 tering rain clouds; below, the cloud rack with rainbow 

 more or less broken and fringed with light; under the 

 rainbow the open sky. a ma.ss of white cumulus clouds 

 appearing above the horizon which runs out at either 

 end into mysteriotis distance. Lower horizontal line 

 the level groimd. imder it roots benefited by the down- 

 pour; from center of ground-line springs a flower 

 sequel of the rain 



Swampy margin of a lake. In diamonded area 

 white represents water, black land Border of the 

 lake at either side in the form of the ever-recurring 

 terrace or zigzag with its mysterious suggestion of 

 clouds moimtains and hiunan aspiration. At the top 

 the cat-tail rush with long roots growing downward into 

 the deep water 



trees, spreads out in a maze 

 of elianiiels. Between it and 

 tlic tdwii are the cornfields 

 divided in-e<,nilaily l)y hedges 

 of wild phinis and sunflowers 

 that i'dllow the courses of the 

 irrigation (htrhes. To the 

 north is seen the Black Mesa, 

 an isolated fiat-topped hill 

 perhaps six hundred feet in 

 height that stands in the 

 middle of the valley. The 

 \ertical escarpments of black 

 lava resemble the bastions of 

 a fort. On the summit of 

 this hill the natives of San 

 lldefonso maintained them- 

 selves against the besieging 

 Spanish soldiers during the 

 rebellion of KiSO. 



Several kinds of pottery 

 are still manufactured at San 

 Ildefon.so. In particular the 

 pueblo is famous for water 

 jars and large storage vessels 

 with conventionalized de- 

 signs in red and black upon 

 a cream-colored base. Red 

 base pottery with designs in 

 black, polished l)lack pottery 

 and rough cooking ware are 

 also made. 



The processes of pottery 

 manufacture are about the 

 same in all the Rio Grande 

 pueblos l)iit the materials, 

 such as clays and paints, 

 vary from ^•illage to village, 

 as do also the styles of deco- 

 ration. The typical wares 

 of each pueblo are, as a rule, 

 easily recognized. The ves- 

 sels are built up by hand 

 from hollowed out lumps of 



194 



