This tall jar is utility ware vessel. As the name implies, this jar was used for everyday activities such as holding water, cooking, or other domestic uses at Kuaua Pueblo located north of Albuquerque at the Coronado Historic Site.
Utility Wares were usually smudged or smoothed on the interior. This makes the ceramic body more impervious to any liquids it held. The wide rim allowed easy access to the vessel contents. While earlier pots in the region had corrugated exteriors with visible coil joins and ridged lines around the entire object, this became less common through time.
This jar was found approximately 20 feet from Kiva 3, currently known as the Painted Kiva. Archaeologists use pottery to better understand the lives of people in the past. The presence of utility ware pottery and other complete pottery vessels in this plaza suggests that people used the area for cooking, social gatherings, and trading goods.
For more information on Coronado Historic site, you can access their website here: http://nmhistoricsites.org/coronado/history
Entry by Lawrence Walker
Reference:
Hayward Franklin. 2018.“Two and a Half Centuries of Pottery Mound: New Chronological Evidence.” Maxwell Museum Technical Series No. 29. University of New Mexico.
Click on image to view full size.