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Object Monday: Acoma Olla

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Acoma Olla
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This large polychrome olla was made by Santana Sanchez of Acoma Pueblo. It was donated to the Maxwell Museum in 1936. The donor, Dr. E.W. Johns, stated at the time that Mrs. Sanchez was 90 years old and had made the jar approximately 45 years before.

It is a large, flat-bottomed olla with a design of steps and hatching repeated in five segments around the neck. The body has triangles, paddle-shaped designs, and checker-work diamonds. There are also two circle-in-square motifs that are only repeated twice, on opposite sides of the piece.

Acoma Pueblo (traditional name: Haak’u) is the oldest continually inhabited community in North America, established around 1150 AD. Acoma Pueblo is known for beautiful pottery with intricate hand-painted geometric patterns, animal designs, and/or floral motifs.

Additional Resources:
https://www.acomaskycity.org/main.html?pgid=40

Click here to see an historic photo from 1934 showing the interior of Santana Sanchez’s house:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.nm0095.photos/?sp=36

And check out this video about contemporary Acoma potter Robert Patricio (and note the jar at timestamp 7:52 with very similar design motif to our olla by Santana Sanchez!):
https://youtu.be/WdZmn5BKcFo

Catalog #: 36.25.1
Culture: Acoma Pueblo
Artist: Santana Sanchez
Origin: New Mexico
Date: ca. 1890s
Collection: Ethnology

By: Lauren Fuka