Pueblo pottery making: a study at the village of San Ildefonso

by Carl E. Guthe

a

Potter moulding an olla. The first roll at the shoulder has just been added. The temporary rim has been pinched up with the thumb and forefinger to provide a firm seat for the succeeding roll.

b

A potter of San Ildefonso. The costume is typical of the Rio Grande Pueblos. With the exception of the shawl it is entirely of native manufacture.

hours’ work to mould an olla. In the case of olla A, the potter was unfortunate in misjudging the proper consistency of the paste, which delayed the construction of this vessel an entire half-hour, omitting the periods of additional drying. The two ollas were begun at eleven o’clock in the morning; the second of the two was set aside completed at eight minutes past four in the afternoon.

It is said that it requires one whole day, and sometimes two, to mould a single very large olla. The process is identical with that just described. In the case of small ollas (such as those seen in pl. 18, a) a single period of drying elapses between the construction of the body and that of the neck. These small ollas can be moulded in a little less than twice the time taken for a bowl of about the same diameter.

TABLE III

	A	B	C	D
	Min.	Sec.	Min.	Sec.
First clay picked up	00.00	00.00	00.00	00.00
Pat placed in puki	04.00	04.00
Second handful of clay picked up	04.30	05.30
First roll added	05.00	06.00
First ring flattened, second begun	06.45	08.30
Second ring flattened, third begun	09.00	10.00
Third ring flattened, fourth begun	11.30	12.30
Fourth ring flattened, fifth begun	15.00	16.45
Fifth ring flattened (Stage I, pl. 15, a), inside scraping begun	18.30	20.00
Exterior scraping begun	21.00	21.30
Rim smoothed and interior scraping begun	23.00	24.00
Rim smoothing begun	25.00	27.30
Set aside (Stage II, pl. 15, b)	26.00	29.00
Time out	34.00	24.30
Interior smoothing, then exterior	26.00	29.00
Set aside (Stage III, pl. 15, c)	33.00	32.30
Time out	53.00	59.00
Pinching of rim begun	33.00	32.30	33.00	33.00
Pinching of rim completed	34.15	33.30
First roll made	35.00	34.15
First roll pinched on, second begun	35.30	34.30
Second roll pinched on, flattening begun	39.45	36.30
First ring flattened	41.00	37.30	37.00
Second ring flattened, rim smoothing begun	45.00	41.30	41.00
Interior scraping begun	45.30	42.00	42.00
Exterior scraping begun	50.00	45.00	45.00
Rim smoothing begun	52.00	47.00
Interior smoothing begun	53.30	48.30	47.00
Exterior smoothing begun	55.00	49.30	52.00
Rim smoothing begun	57.00	50.15
Set aside (Stage IV, pl. 15, d)	58.00	50.45	54.00	55.00
Time out	27.00	20.45	28.00	68.00
Pinching of rim begun	58.00	50.45	54.00	55.00
Pinching of rim completed	58.45	51.15
First roll completed	59.30	52.00
First ring flattened, second begun	64.00	56.45
Second ring on	66.15	59.45
Second ring flattened, rim smoothing begun	67.15	60.30	61.00
Exterior scraping begun	68.00	60.45	61.15
Interior scraping begun	70.00	omitted	omitted	omitted
Set aside (clay too soft)	70.30	“	“	“
Rim smoothing begun	omitted	63.00	“	“
Set aside	omitted	63.45	“	“
Time out	13.45	17.00	“	“
Interior scraping begun	70.30	63.45	64.00
Exterior smoothing begun	75.15	69.15
Rim smoothing begun	77.15	71.45
Set aside (Stage V, pl. 15, e)	79.15	73.30	69.00	67.00
Time out	18.00	15.15	68.00	42.00
Interior smoothing begun	79.15	omitted	omitted	omitted
Exterior smoothing begun	83.45	“	“	“
Rim smoothing begun	84.15	“	“	“
Set aside	84.45	“	“	“
Time out	33.00	“	“	“
Interior smoothing begun	84.45	“	“	“
Exterior smoothing begun	88.00	“	“	“
Set aside	89.45	“	“	“
Time out	21.00	“	“	“
Pinching of rim begun	89.45	73.30	69.00	67.00
First roll put on	92.45	75.00
Ring flattened, rim smoothed, exterior scraping begun	94.45	77.30		73.00
Interior scraping begun	97.45	79.00	76.00
Exterior smoothing begun	100.15	81.30
Interior smoothing begun (Stage VI, pl. 15, f)	101.45	83.00
Exterior smoothing begun	102.45	omitted	omitted	omitted
Rim smoothing begun	103.30	84.30	84.00	83.00
Set aside (clay in rim too soft)	105.15	omitted	omitted	omitted
Time out	16.30	“	“	“
Interior and exterior smoothing begun	omitted	“	“	87.00
Rim finishing begun	105.15	90.30		91.00
Vessel completed (Stage VII, pl. 15, g, h)	119.45	94.30	93.00	98.00
Total elapsed time from beginning: Ollas A and B, 5 hours, 7 minutes, 30 seconds; Ollas C and D, about 5 hours.

Cooking-Vessels