Curriculum Materials: Art in America
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Image 11 Keresan Questions: |
Acoma Pueblo
When Spanish explorers arrived in present-day New Mexico in the 16th century, they encountered many different groups of native peoples. Most of these people lived in multi-unit adobe dwellings along the banks of the Rio Grande. The Spanish referred to the people and their dwellings as pueblo, a Spanish word meaning "village."
The Acoma Pueblo, which stands on high mesa to the west
of Albuquerque, has been inhabited continuously by Keresan
Indians since about 1200 A.D. Like many of the New Mexico
pueblos, Acoma produces pottery recognizable for its
distinctive forms and decoration. Acoma's potters are famous
for their thin-walled pots made from dense local clay. They
are also known for complex abstract designs incorporating
ORGANIC and
GEOMETRIC forms.
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