Mata Ortiz pottery is a recreation
of the Mogollon pottery found in and around the archeological
site of Casas Grandes (Paquimé) in the Mexican state of
Chihuahua. Named after the modern town of Mata Ortiz, which is
near the archeological site, the style was propagated by Juan
Quezada Celado.
Quezada learned on his own
to recreate this ancient pottery and then went on to update it.
By the mid 1970s, Quezada was selling his pottery and teaching
family and friends to make it and the pottery was able to penetrate
the U.S. markets thanks to efforts by Spencer MacCallum and later
Walt Parks along with Mexican traders.
By the 1990s, the pottery
was being shown in museums and other cultural institutions and
sold in fine galleries. The success of the pottery, which is
sold for its aesthetic rather than its utilitarian value, has
brought the town of Mata Ortiz out of poverty, with most of its
population earning income from the industry, directly or indirectly.
