The artists of Mata Ortiz are identified by their neighborhood or barrio in the village and the style of their work is often influenced by the designs of their family or friends who live there. Family ties and traditions are considered to be important.

There are now several hundred potter artists working in the Mata Ortiz tradition. New and talented artists come on the scene on a regular basis. Many of these are young people who learn the art from their parents, siblings or friends. Perhaps the most exciting thing to observe is the growth in creative designs that have expanded the art form.

Your artist is one of many in the art colony. We are gathering biographical data as we are able. We regret that we do not have this information available for all artists, but we will attach it here for you if possible.

Aguez, Martha Martínez

Almazán, Salvador "Chava"

Amaya, Angel

Angel Amaya Mora specializes in non-traditional streamlined shapes and his pots have a modern appearance. These ollas are made of very fine thin, white clay decorated with his original interpretations of Pacquimé designs. He learned to paint from Consolación Quezada, Juan Quezada's older sister. His wife is Avelina Corona de Amaya and they work together in their home in Barrio Porvenir, Mata Ortiz

Andrew, Octavio

Baca, Salvador

Salvador and his wife, Virginia Lozoya de Baca were born in Mata Ortiz. They work together: she shapes the pot and he does the painting. They specialize in black on black designs which are unique and non-traditional. They borrow some of the Quezada legacy, but mixed with the free-form style of the Porvenir Barrio potters. He is the cousin of Taurina Baca.

Baca, Taurina

Taurina Baca was one of the first non-family students of Juan Quezada in 1973 or 1974. She lives in Barrio Central, Mata Ortiz and has three daughters. She is a skilled potter whose work is prized by collectors.

Bugarina, Laura

Laura Bugarina Cota is a young, second generation potter. She has created her own novel designs. Her fine lines and detail require a keen eye, a very steady hand and a good deal of patience. Her pots are covered with thousands of tiny strokes and dots. Laura's mother, Guadalupe Cota de Lopez, makes all her pots. Laura at one time worked as a housekeeper in Denver, but fortunately she has since returned to Mata Ortiz to be a potter.

Corana, Jorge

Corona, Vidal

Gallegos, Héctor and Graciela

This family of potters are exceptionally talented. Graciela first began to do pottery in 1987 after learning the art from her neighbor, Armando Rodríguez (one of the best of the newer artists - see below), in Barrio Americano. Then Graciela taught her husband, Héctor to use the Mimbres style of designs in her white clay pots. They are now considered to be true masters of their art. As in most of such joint ventures, the painter is the one who signs the pot. Their work is in such high demand that we feel very fortunate to be able to offer one of their pieces.

Loya, Rosa Isela

Ledezma, Efrén

Efrén Ledezma Veloz is one of several Ledezma brothers who are all creative artists. His designs are repetitive geometric shapes in red and black paint on a bright white clay olla. His signature style is to superimpose animals, such as birds, bees or lizards, painted in a single color. Efrén has been a potter since 1995.

Ledezma, Juana

Juana is a fine potter who works mostly with white clay and paints red and black geometric designs in the Ledezma family style.

Ledezma, Yolanda

Yolanda, who signs her pots Yoly Ledezma, paints in the family style, but uses red clay and creates an unusual flared square rim at the top of the neck of the pot.

López, Abigail

López, Celia

López, Javier

López, Lety

López, Nely

López, Leonel *Sáenz

Leonel López Sáenz is regarded as one of the most successful potters in Mata Ortiz. He uses the sgraffito style to etch or scratch all types of birds and animals on the pot with great skill. He buys unfired pots from several different artist potters. Next he sands and polishes the surface of the pot. The surface is then covered with a black or red clay slip. With a small pocket knife or dental pick he carefully cuts the surface down to the white clay to reveal the design or animal images. He is the foremost potter in the Barrio López where his extended family lives.

Leonel is married to Elena Rodriguez Guillén. Their children are Leonale López Rodriguez and Abel López Rodriguez.

Lozano, Rubén

Rubén Lozano Lucero came to Mata Ortiz when he was a teenager, but he started his art about 1980 in Barrio Porvenir. His current style is mostly thin black balloons, highly polished and no painting on the surface - a style known as burnished clay. He has won a number of national awards. He works with his wife, María Anastasia Villa de Lozano

Lozoya, Gloria

Lucero, Efraín (Efrain Lucero Juárez)

Efraín learned how to work the clay from his brother-in-law Juan Andrew. His pottery style was influenced by his teachers, Macario Ortiz and nephew Rubén Lozano. His wife, Antonia Andrew de Lucero and their five children assist him in his studio. They live in the Sección neighborhood of Mata Ortiz. A son, Efraín Lucero Andrew, is very promising young potter.

Lujan, Irene

José M. & Maxim T.

Martínez, Amelia

Martínez, Jesús (Jesús Martínez Renteria, Jr.) and wife, María del Socorro

Amaya de Martínez are a team. They produce some of the most complicated patterns from Mata Ortiz. Socorro forms and sands all the pots and Jesús paints each piece and does the firing. As often happens, Jesús, as the painter, signs the pots. His brother-in-law and teacher is Mauro Quezada. They live in Barrio Central, Mata Ortiz.

Mendoza, Elva & GM

Mora, Porfiro "Pilo"

Porfiro "Pilo" Mora Villalba is an early potter from barrio Porvenir who now lives in Nuevo Casas Grandes. His teacher was Emeterio Ortiz as early as 1973 when he was in his teens. Most of his pots are made with mezclado (mixed) clay that provides an interesting marbled finish. He is a superb painter. His designs are often a maze that starts at the top of the pot and winds its way to the bottom. He says that the lines and pattern represent his life, an idea that was inspired by his dreams.

Olivas, Cesar

Olivas, Martin

Olivas, Manuel

Manuel Olivas creates pots of the Mata Ortiz style, but he has always lived in Casas Grandes and started out by making replicas of the prehistoric potter of Paquimé. He lives in a house by the road just outside of town on the way to Mata Ortiz, which is identified by large concrete sculptures. There are some people who think his pottery may have predated the work of Juan Quezada.

Ortega, Héctor

Héctor is best known for his beautifully executed black or red pots with swirls or turbinos that sweep down from the top to the base both inside and out. He seldom paints designs on the pots. He also does pots with animal figures on them. His wife is Olivia López Quezada, daughter of Reynalda Quezada. They live in Barrio Central along the Palanga River near the railroad bridge.

Ortega, Naty

Ortiz, Eusebio

Pedregón, René

Quezada, Alandra

Quezada, Arturo (Arturo Quezada Olivas)

Arturo is the next-to-youngest son of Juan Quezada Celado and Guillermina Quezada Olivas. He is a fine potter in his own right and helps his father with sanding and polishing. He lives with his parents in Barrio Central. We have one of his pots which we watched being fired, but it is not for sale.

Quezada, Betty (Betty Quintana de Quezada)

Betty makes beautiful pottery in the Quezada style, but usually matte black or charcoal in color. Many of her pieces are fairly large. She is married to Noé Quezada, son of Juan Quezada and Guillermina Olivas Reyes, and they live in Barrio Central along the Palaganas River.

Quezada, Dora

Dora is the daughter of Consolación Quezada and Lupe Corona. She has been doing pottery for over twenty years and likes to do the painting, carving and shining. She works at her own home and has a distinctive abstract style.

Quezada, Hilario

Quezada, Ivone E.

Quezada, José

José Quezada Talamontes is the oldest child of Nicolás and Gloria Quezada and he has been making pottery since he was nine years old. He learned his art from his father. José and his wife, Marcela Herrera de Quezada work together on his ollas. She does the sanding and polishing. He does the painting and firing. José is known for his large pots - up to eighteen inches in height with strong colors of red and black on white clay. They live in Barrio Central with their daughter.

Quezada, Lydia

Lydia Quezada de Talavera is the youngest of Juan Quezada's siblings. She learned the art of making pottery from Juan when she lived with her parents in Mata Ortiz. She is known for making all types of pottery and using all types of clay. Her designs are typical Quezada with long lines sweeping downward from rim to base.

She has always been on the leading edge of new ideas and experimentation. Her black pottery has both polished and matte finishes.

Lydia has taught her husband Rito Talavera how to do pottery and is teaching her children. The family now lives in Nuevo Casas Grandes.

Quezada, Manuel Gonzalez

Manuel Gonzalez Quezada

The son of Consolación Quezada Celado.

Quezada, Mireya

Mireya Quezada Olivas is the daughter of Juan Quezada Celado and Guillermina Olivas Reyes. She is one of the younger artists who is becoming well known and is doing very fine pottery in the Quezada tradition.

Quezada, Paty

Quezada, Reynalda

Reynalda Quezada de López is one of Juan Quezada's sisters who has made black pottery for over 20 years. She adds sculptured turtles, frogs, lizards and snakes to the rims of her pots. Her son, Samuel López Quezada and her two daughters, Yolanda and Olivia, are also potters. Reynalda and husband, Simón López, live in Barrio Central.

Quezada, Reynaldo

Reynaldo Quezada Celado is Juan Quezada's youngest brother. He has been a fine potter for over 20 years. He learned his art from his brothers Juan and Nicolás. He refined his artistic talents under his sister Consolación. Reynaldo is credited with the mixing of clays (mezclado) for the marbleized finish. He also pioneered the use of textured (tejido) indentations to give the pot a "braided" look. Reynaldo is well known for his black, unpainted, but textured bowls in the shape of a flying saucer. His work is regarded as innovative and elegant. He lives in Barrio Central, Mata Ortiz

Quezada, Rosa

Rosa Quezada Celado is one of Juan's sisters. She mostly makes black pottery, often with animals or effigies.

Rentiuc, Lidia

Reyes, Veyo do

Rodriguez, Armando

Armando has been a potter for over ten years. He learned the art from his younger brother, Manolo Rodriguez. Olivia Mora de Rodriguez, his wife, helps by making some of his pots and Armando does the painting. The family lives in Barrio Americano. Leticia Rodriguez is their daughter and also does pottery.

Rodriguez, Leticia

Leticia is the daughter of Armando and Olivia de Mora Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, Paty

Roque, Reydesel Reyes

Sáenz, Leonel López - see López, Leonel above

Sáenz, María

Sáenz, Norman López

Turado, Tuara

Tena, Gerardo

Villa, Angela

Villa, Deonício