Maria Martinez (1887 - 1980)

Maria Martinez was born around 1887 at the San Ildefonso Pueblo in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She learned to make pots from her aunt at a time when pottery was not an essential part of daily life, thanks to modern items made out of tin and enamel. When asked to copy some prehistoric pottery that had been discovered nearby, Maria and her husband Julian worked together on the project; she made the pottery and he painted the designs.

Maria and Julian invented a way to allow for different kinds of finishes on the same piece, which meant they could create pieces with additional depth by varying how the light was reflected on the surface. In keeping with the traditional style of pottery, they did not use a wheel but rather formed the item in their hands. The clay on the pueblo is special because it has a rich iron content that turns black after a particular kind of firing. They made many pieces of "black-on-black ware," a type of pottery that requires a lot of extra time, including filing and polishing.

Their pottery was displayed at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the 1914 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, California, and at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair. They would continue to work together until 1943. After John died, Maria's daughter-in-law Santana took over the painting and her son Popovi built her a shop and gave lectures about her black ware pottery.

Inspired by the ancient pottery of her people, Maria Martinez was not afraid to experiment with techniques and designs. In this way, she helped keep an important Native American tradition of Southwest Pueblo art alive.