Welcome to our Mata Ortiz Items

We choose to define the pottery by color on our web site because of the differences in the way it is fired.

Black on Black refers to the highly burnished black pottery that the Artists of Mata Ortiz create when they fire the pottery without oxygen. 

Polychrome pottery is 2 or more colors in the designs on a different colored clay.

Mata Ortiz pottery is one of the finest ceramics in the world. Inspired by the Paquime, Casas Grandes ceramics, the potters of Mata Ortiz create contemporary works of art, often incorporating Mimbres designs shared by the Southwest, Native American cultures.

No two pieces of Mata Ortiz art are alike. That is what separates it as Art instead of just a craft. Seldom is a pattern repeated by the artist. This is what makes them very collectible.

These art pieces are called ollas (handmade coiled pots). They are coiled and shaped by hand. Then they are painted using natures own canvas and materials. Also, they are never kiln fired (open pit firing is the technique used).

As they are created entirely by hand there are slight variances in size and symmetry.