Juan Tafoya under the portico of the Palace of the Governors where he was selling his pottery. We bought one of his black-on-black pots.
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Juan Tafoya and Mom under the portico of the Palace of the Governors where he was selling his pottery. We bought one of his black-on-black pots.
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The sign in front of Juan Tafoya's studio in San Ildefonso Pueblo.
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Juan Tafoya's pottery studio in San Ildefonso Pueblo.
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Juan Tafoya and Mom standing behind his studio in the San Ildefonso Pueblo.
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Detail of a wooden ladder against the back of Juan Tafoya's adobe studio on the San Ildefonso Pueblo in North Central New Mexico.
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Juan Tafoya cleaning out the pit in preparation for firing his pottery.
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Juan Tafoya standing in the cleaned pit in preparation for firing his pottery. The pile in the background is dried cow manure, and the buckets on the right are filled with horse manure, major components of the black-on-black firing process.
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Juan preparing the pit for firing with cedar wood and newspaper. The tin cans serve as a stand for the grate which holds the pots.
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One of Juan Tafoya's pots prior to firing which produces the black-on-black color. The avanyu, or horned-water-serpent motif, an ancient design which he carries forward from his mother, shows the pointed tongue representing lightning, with the star crosses on the body and tail representing spirits, and a torquoise inlaid eye. The sparkles on the interior are specks of mica.
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One of Juan Tafoya's pots prior to firing which produces the black-on-black color. The avanyu, or horned-water-serpent motif, an ancient design which he carries forward from his mother, shows the pointed tongue representing lightning, with the star crosses on the body and tail representing spirits, and a torquoise inlaid eye. The sparkles on the interior are specks of mica.
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Juan placing the pots on the grate prior to firing.
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The six pots as they look before firing.
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Now Juan is covering the pots with pieces of tin, some of which are old license plates.
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Juan places the dried cow chips around the covered pots.
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Juan places the dried cow chips around the covered pots.
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