Prior to the coming of Europeans, the peoples of both the North and South American continents had a wide variety of pottery traditions. However, there is no evidence that a Native American potter ever invented the potter's wheel. Because of this, all known Pre-Columbian American pottery was made entirely by hand, using a number of traditional techniques. These include sculptural modeling, press molding, coiling, and paddling. Functional clay objects were produced by most clay using cultures, as were figurines, masks, and ritual items.
Many Pre-Columbian pottery traditions are well known to the general public and significant pieces are found in collections in most major museums. Among the most well known are pots found in the Anasazi ruins of the Southwest United States, pottery produced by a number of Pueblo peoples, also in the Southwest United States, and Mayan pottery found in southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Less well known pottery traditions include the Casas Grandes region of Northern Mexico and the prehistoric potters of the Gran Cocle' Culture Area , Coclé Province, Panama.
Pre-Columbian clay artifacts are often found in tombs and ruins during modern archeological excavations. However, during the early years of exploration on both continents, pots were removed without any records on origin and associated artifacts. This has resulted in many striking pottery items, some in prestigious museums, being held without documentation. The practice of "pot hunting" continues to be a problem for governments and academic researchers, as a black market for prehistoric pottery and artifacts flourishes in many areas of the world.
North American Pottery
North and Northeastern Cultures
Each of these main groups contained many tribes, each of which had adapted to their environments which were all slightly different. The four main groups were subdivided by the following geographic areas:
- The Pacific coast and mountains. Yukon.
- The Plains. Cree/Manitoba. Sioux.
- The St. Lawrence valley.Great Lakes. Iroquois. Maritime Provinces/St. Lawrence.
- The North-East Woodlands (broad region, encompassing the woods near the Atlantic/maritimes to the tree-line in the Arctic).Inuit.
Southeastern/Central Cultures
- Sapelo Island, GA (first NA pottery 2000 BC)
- Archaic at Poverty Point, LA (1500 BC, Olmec influence)
- Adena (800 BC - circa AD 100)
- Hopewell (circa 300 BC - AD 700, peak AD 100 - AD 400)
- Mississipian (circa AD 800 - Mexican influence)
- Cahokia, IL (city/state? AD 700-1400)
- Natchez\Southern Cult (AD 1300 - Mexican influence)
Southwestern Cultures
- Ancestoral Pueblo Cultures: including Anasazi, Mimbres Valley, Jornada Mogollon, Hohokam, Casa Grande.
- Historic Pueblo Cultures: including Hopi, and San Ildefonso Pueblo with the work of Maria and Julian Martinez . In the early 1900’s Maria Martinez and her husband Julian rediscovered how to make the Black-on Black pottery for which San Ildefonso Pueblo would soon become famous. Other historic pueblos producing pottery include: Santa Clara Pueblo, Taos Pueblo and the Zuni.
- Other Historic Cultures including the Apache and the Navajo (who refer to themselves as the Diné).
Central American Pottery
- Tlatilco (circa 1500 BC)
- Olmec (circa 800-400 BC)
- Teotihuacan (circa 300 BC - AD 600)
- Zapotec (circa AD 200 - AD 800)
- Mixtec(circa AD 900)
- Tarascan (circa AD 800 - AD 1300)
- Mayan (circa AD 317 - AD 1200)
- Remojadas (circa AD 750)
- Toltec / Mayan (circa AD 1200 - AD 1500)
- Aztec (circa AD 1168 - AD 1519)
- Coclé, Panama with the following periods: La Mula (circa 150 BC - AD 300), Tonosi (circa AD 300 - AD 550), Cubita (circa AD 550 - AD 700), and Gran Cocle'(circa AD 1200 - AD 1500).
South American Pottery
- Earliest pottery (dated circa 2500 BC)
- Chavin Period (1200-300 BC)
- Paracas Culture (600-100 BC)
- "Experimental" Period (circa 400 BC - AD 1)
- Master Craftsman Period (circa AD 1 - AD 900) broken into Mochica also known as the Moche culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu, Proto-Chimu, etc. (AD 200 to AD 700 - Northern Highlands)and the Nazca culture (300 BC and AD 800) ref. Cahuachi, Southern Highlands.
- Expansionist Period (circa AD 900 - AD 1200) including Tiahaunaco .
- City Builder Period (circa AD 1200-1450)
- Incan Period (circa AD 1450 - AD 1532)
Modern Native American pottery
Several current native American cultures continue their original pottery traditions, still producing ware for practical use and for sale to collectors. One of the most common kinds of pots made by native peoples of North and Central America is the olla. The unglazed pot is characterized by a spherical body and wide mouth. Ollas were made over a thousand years ago and almost all the tribes in the Southwest United States and Mexico still make them today.
Modern Native American artists working in clay include: Joseph Lonewolf, Iris Nampeyo, Maria and Julian Martinez, Sara Fina Tafoya, Juan Quezada and Al Quoyawayma. See List of Native American Artists .
