Photo Gallery

Mimbres pot, black on white, with a stylized lizard. The circular lines call to mind the shimmering heat in which this animal lives. Diameter: about 4 inches. Mimbres Valley (New Mexico), Mogollon Culture (E.H. Morris Collection), UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

The environment of the past and present. - On the Mimbres pot two fish fight over a worm. Diameter: 12.08 inches, UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Polychrome vessel, Kayenta, Anasazi Culture, Navajo National Monument Museum.

Gray, unfired anthropomorphic clay figurine. The left arm is missing. A clay «sausage» surrounds the head and the clay was slightly pinched to create the nose; the neck and hand are embellished with crosshatching; the base is rounded off. Such statuettes were placed in the ground on ceremonial occasions, particularly funerals. 2.52 x 1.76 x 0.4 inches; Fremont Culture, MNA.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Spoon handle depicting a baby in a cradle. This ceramic fragment was found in the ruins at Wupatki National Monument (Arizona). Was it a decorated object for special occasions? Height: 3.2 inches. Anasazi Culture, MNA.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Mug, 6.8 inches high, Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, Anasazi Culture, 1075-1150, CCP
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Shallow bowl, 12.4 inches diameter, Gila River Valley, Hohokam Culture, ASM
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Clay head, 1.12 inches high, Snaketown, Hohokam Culture, ASM
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Coiled pot, 8.8 inches high, Chaco Canyon, Anasazi Culture, 1000-1200, CCP
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Polychrome bowl, 10 inches diameter, Mogollon Culture, 1300-1400, HMP
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Black-on-white bowl with "kill" hole, 8.32 inches diameter, Mimbres Valley, UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Container from a kiva, 13 inches diameter, Mesa Verde, Anasazi Culture, MVM
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Polychrome vessel, 6.4 inches diameter, Kinishba, Salado-culture, MNA
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Anthropomorphic jar, 5.56 inches high, Keystone Ruin, Salado Culture, ASM
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Pottery from the various prehistoric cultures. Anthropomorphic vessel (polychrome), 6.2 inches high, Casas Grandes Culture (Mexico), AFM.
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Typically cylindrical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with geometric designs and four small handles at the rim. Height: 8.8 inches. 120 such pots were found in a grave at Pueblo Bonito; Anasazi Culture (Collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.), CCP.
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Bowl and kiva vessel: Pottery characteristic of Mesa Verde, black on white, decorated with geometric designs, creating a kinetic positive-negative effect. Diameter: 10.4 inches. The ears of corn date from the time when Mesa Verde was inhabited. Anasazi Culture, MVM.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Three "killed" Mimbres ceramic bowls, black on white, from the Mimbres Valley (New Mexico), Mogollon Culture. Left: Stylized representation of a human figure with a club such as those used to hunt rabbits, UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Objects of clay and stone (perhaps jewelry), found largely in Hohokam burials. In the Southwest the Hohokam are considered the masters of such creations, an art characterized by its style and expressive quality. - Shallow clay bowl in the shape of a curled up snake. The incised lines represent the scaly skin; 4 inches diameter HMP.
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

Hohokam clay figurines, found at many large archaeological sites, ASM. - Sitting person, wrapped in a sort of shawl, with turban or an unusual hairstyle. Height: 4 inches.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Hohokam clay figurines, found at many large archaeological sites, ASM. - Sitting human figure with a shallow bowl on its head; both sides of the head are painted with designs in red. Height: 5 inches.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Mimbres pottery, black on white, Mogollon Culture. Each pot with a hole in the bottom represents a mortuary offering that was "killed," thereby setting its soul free. - Bowl with a stylized bat with spread wings, one of the finest examples of representative Mimbres pottery. Diameter: 9.84 inches. ASM
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Mimbres pottery, black on white, Mogollon Culture. Each pot with a hole in the bottom represents a mortuary offering that was "killed," thereby setting its soul free. - A pot in the shape of a bird with an opening at the head end. Diameter: 7.4 inches. MNA
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Mimbres pottery, black on white, Mogollon Culture. Each pot with a hole in the bottom represents a mortuary offering that was "killed," thereby setting its soul free. - Large pot Colla) with a narrow neck and two handles, decorated with the sun symbol, stars and the stairway to heaven; MNA
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Mimbres pottery, black on white, Mogollon Culture. Each pot with a hole in the bottom represents a mortuary offering that was "killed," thereby setting its soul free. - Bowl painted with a styled big-horn sheep, its body resembling a chessboard. Diameter: 9.44 inches. UCM
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Detail of a richly decorated Mimbres bowl, black on white. In the middle is depicted a geometric pronghorn antelope with a rhomboid head and naturalistic antlers, mouth and hooves; at its widest point the diameter is 12.32 inches. Mimbres Valley (New Mexico), Mogollon Culture, ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Mimbres bowl, black on white, with stylized, naturalistic motifs; Mogollon Culture. - Scorpion within a circular design representing feathers. Diameter: 10.4 inches. MNM.
MNM = Collections of the Museum of New Mexico, Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe (New Mexico)

Mimbres bowl, black on white, with stylized, naturalistic motifs; Mogollon Culture. - Two deer-like animals, one in front ofthe other. The tail of one covers the back of both in a composition of striking simplicity. Diameter: 10.56 inches. UCM
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Mimbres bowl, black on white, with stylized, naturalistic motifs; Mogollon Culture. - An animal biting its own tail, similar to the image of a coiled snake, the symbol of eternity. The naturalistic style clearly borders here onto pure geometry. 9.84 inches diameter, UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

This clay figurine once embellished the handle of a jar or a ladle. With almond-shaped eyes, prominent nose, expressionistic in style, it is comparable to the Hohokam figurines (see PUE-164 and PUE-165). Height: 2.76 inches. Mogollon Culture, ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Anasazi pottery - Bowl, black on gray, with geometric designs (triangles with dots and crossed and zig-zag lines) on the inner surface; mortuary offering. Diameter: 7.24 inches. Wupatki National Monument (Arizona), Sinagua Culture, MNA
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Anasazi pottery - Ladle, black on white, geometric design, MNA.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Anasazi pottery - Bowl, black on gray, with concentric lines and dots; 5.48 inches diameter, MNA
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

A selection of clay figurines made by the Hohokam, found largely in graves. The faces are quite detailed, eyes and mouths are incised, eyelids clearly delineated. As portraits and as death masks they illustrate the transition from reality to eternity. The median length of the faces is 1.2 inches; the tallest figurine measures 3.36 inches. ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Miniature clay representation of a «forked double basket» (an object with ceremonial significance?). Height: 6.20 inches. Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico), Anasazi Culture (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.), CCP.
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Hohokam pottery with geometric and naturalistic designs. - Lid of a grave jar. Red on ochre, with rhomboids with dots in the centers. Diameter: 6 inches. HMP - -Miniature pot, red on ochre, with N-shaped design. Height 3.6 inches. HMP
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

Hohokam pottery with geometric and naturalistic designs. - Deep bowl, red on ochre, painted with spirals. Height: 2.4 inches. HMP.
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

Hohokam pottery with geometric and naturalistic designs. - Three-legged pot, red on ochre, painted with a coiled snake motif, one of which is being attacked by two birds. Diameter: 4.72 inches. ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Hohokam pottery with geometric and naturalistic designs. - Deep bowl, with concentric circles and parallel lines, later repainted. Height: 2.8 inches. HMP. Pitcher found in a child's grave. Diameter: 5.2 inches. HMP
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

Hohokam pottery with geometric and naturalistic designs. - Red on ochre pot with the enlarged head and body of a seated figure. Height: 6.48 inches. ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Mesa Verde pottery: two lids, black on white. Diameter: 3.64 inches. Mug House, Wetherill Mesa (Colorado), Anasazi Culture, MVM.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico), Ramos polychrome, with well-executed, stylized geometric and naturalistic designs; several are anthropomorphic. The pots are painted with those design elements that were used over and over again in the Southwest, universal symbols like spirals, birds, stairways to heaven, etc. - Stylized rabbit figure. Diameter: 9.28 inches. AFM.
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico), Ramos polychrome, with well-executed, stylized geometric and naturalistic designs; several are anthropomorphic. The pots are painted with those design elements that were used over and over again in the Southwest, universal symbols like spirals, birds, stairways to heaven, etc. - Square pot with four legs, painted with deer (?) and the stairway to heaven design. 3.28 inches long on a side, 0.12 inches thick. AFM
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico), Ramos polychrome, with well-executed, stylized geometric and naturalistic designs; several are anthropomorphic. The pots are painted with those design elements that were used over and over again in the Southwest, universal symbols like spirals, birds, stairways to heaven, etc. - Spirals and birds, with a handle in the shape of a parrot's head. Height: 6.8 inches. AFM.
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico), Ramos polychrome, with well-executed, stylized geometric and naturalistic designs; several are anthropomorphic. The pots are painted with those design elements that were used over and over again in the Southwest, universal symbols like spirals, birds, stairways to heaven, etc. - Human face surrounded by parrot heads with large crooked beaks. Diameter: 8.04 inches. AFM
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Piece of pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico). - Pottery with an anthropomorphic shape, a caricatured face with prominent chin and cheeks that end in ears. The mouth is indicated. The whole piece is somewhat humorous, a not uncommon characteristic of southwestern pottery. Height: 6.24 inches. AFM.
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Piece of pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico). - Anthropomorphic pot with extended legs, arms parallel to the body, shaped eyes and nose. Length: 9.32 inches. AFM
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Piece of pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico). - Red anthropomorphic pitcher with a flat head, almond-shaped eyes and shaped nose, chin and ears. Height: 7.6 inches. AFM
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Piece of pottery from Casas Grandes (Mexico). - Double mug. A large number ofthese mugs were found at Mesa Verde. Diameter: 5 inches. AFM.
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

Mug, black on white, with characteristic Chaco Canyon (New Mexico) decoration consisting of geometric lines and crosshatching, handle in the shape of a jaguar (?). Height: 7.84 inches. HMP.
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

Typical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with stairway-like motifs, triangles, chessboard squares, elongated spirals and crosshatched areas. Anasazi Culture. - Cylindrical pot. Height: 8.8 inches. MNM.
MNM = Collections of the Museum of New Mexico, Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe (New Mexico)

Typical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with stairway-like motifs, triangles, chessboard squares, elongated spirals and crosshatched areas. Anasazi Culture. - Mug. Height: 6.8 inches. MMA
MMA = Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (New Mexico)

Typical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with stairway-like motifs, triangles, chessboard squares, elongated spirals and crosshatched areas. Anasazi Culture. - Ladle in Mesa Verde style. Length: 13.6 inches. CCP
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Typical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with stairway-like motifs, triangles, chessboard squares, elongated spirals and crosshatched areas. Anasazi Culture. - Ladle. Length: 5.2 inches. CCP
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Typical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with stairway-like motifs, triangles, chessboard squares, elongated spirals and crosshatched areas. Anasazi Culture. - Bowl. Diameter: 8.0 inches. CCP
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Typical Chaco Canyon pottery, black on white, with stairway-like motifs, triangles, chessboard squares, elongated spirals and crosshatched areas. Anasazi Culture. - Bowl with painted rim. Diameter: 4.2 inches. CCP
CCP = Museum Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

Animal design on Mesa Verde pottery. - stylized deer - Mug House, Mesa Verde (Colorado), MVM.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Animal design on Mesa Verde pottery. - stylized bird, perhaps a turkey - Mug House, Mesa Verde (Colorado), MVM.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Water jar (olla) in the shape of a bird, painted in reddish brown on white, with a stylized deer or antelope head; cult object (or mortuary offering). Height: 9.64 inches. Mogollon Culture, ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Olla with two handles, black motif on a yellowish base, decorated with suns, stars, curved lines and hatched areas. Height: 12.96 inches. Mesa Verde (Colorado), Anasazi Culture, UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Pitcher, black on white, richly painted, with handle in the shape of an animal (perhaps a dog with wings). Height: 7.32 inches. ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Mug, black on white. This drinking vessel was once broken and repaired in prehistoric times; the handle has a rare T-shaped cut-out. Height: 4 inches. Mesa Verde, Anasazi Culture, ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Water jar with incising. Length: 6.84 inches. Rio Grande Region, Anasazi Culture (Collection of A. Bandelier), ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Corrugated ware with yucca fiber twine; the base is made of juniper bark. Height: 9.8 inches. Kayenta Region, Anasazi Culture, ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Mesa Verde pottery: pots, pitchers and mugs, black on white with geometric designs. The double mug is among the most unusual pieces. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), MVM. - Water jar. Height: 3.0 inches. Wetherill Mesa (Colorado).
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Mesa Verde pottery: pots, pitchers and mugs, black on white with geometric designs. The double mug is among the most unusual pieces. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), MVM. - Double pitcher. Height: 3.8 inches.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Mesa Verde pottery: pots, pitchers and mugs, black on white with geometric designs. The double mug is among the most unusual pieces. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), MVM. - Kiva pot. Height: 5.6 inches; diameter: 7.76 inches at the widest point. Long House.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Mesa Verde pottery: pots, pitchers and mugs, black on white with geometric designs. The double mug is among the most unusual pieces. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), MVM. - Pitcher with handle. Height: 7.28 inches; diameter: 7 inches at widest point. Chapin Mesa
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Three bowls found in Hopi graves that represent a link between prehistoric and historic times with their continuity in form and decorative motifs; UCM. - Bowl, brown on ochre, with schematized animal. (PUE-179B/C)
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Three bowls found in Hopi graves that represent a link between prehistoric and historic times with their continuity in form and decorative motifs; UCM. - Polychrome bowl with the magic hand symbol. Diameter: 10.56 inches. (PUE-179A/C)
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Three bowls found in Hopi graves that represent a link between prehistoric and historic times with their continuity in form and decorative motifs; UCM. - Polychrome bowl, arm and hand (with schematized fingernails). Diameter: 10.4 inches. (PUE-179A/B) -- Museumdaten fehlen!
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Shallow bowl, red on ochre. The composition is made up of four symmetrical sections of a circle, each depicting a dancer holding the waist of Kokopelli, the hunchback flute player, shown wearing a feather headdress. The bent legs and body indicate the movement of the dance. Diameter: 10.84 inches. Snaketown (Arizona), Hohokam Culture, ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Pottery in the Ramos polychrome style: effigy of a seated woman nursing a child; decorated with black and red designs of universal symbolic significance: the "stairway to heaven" and clouds, the chessboard, the spiral (symbol of fertility) and the lightning sign, which heralds rain (on the left leg). Height: 8.04 inches. Casas Grandes (Mexico), ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

The spiral and swastika are universal signs. They are found in the megalithic architecture on Malta, on African pottery, in Carnac, in the heart of the Sahara, and in the petroglyphs and pottery of the Southwest, such as that of the Anasazi pot. Black on white, 17.2 inches high, MNA.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

The spiral and swastika are universal signs. They are found in the megalithic architecture on Malta, on African pottery, in Carnac, in the heart of the Sahara, and in the petroglyphs and pottery of the Southwest. A shallow bowl in the shape of a turtle shell. Length: 6.16 inches. Casas Grandes (Mexico), AFM.
AFM = Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon (Arizona)

On pottery as well as in pictogra phs universal signs are found over and over: zig-zag lines (representing lightning), tadpole or frog (water), the triangle, dot, etc. - Mimbres bowl, black on white. Diameter: 14.24 inches. HMP.
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)

On pottery as well as in pictogra phs universal signs are found over and over: zig-zag lines (representing lightning), tadpole or frog (water), the triangle, dot, etc. - Mimbres bowl, black on white, stylized insects and parallel lines. Diameter: 18.28 inches. UCM.
UCM = University of Colorado Museum, Boulder (Colorado)

Historic Pueblo pottery has, to a large extent, retained the formal vocabulary of the prehistoric pots. - Hopi pot, made in 1935 by the Nampeyos, husband and wife. Polychrome, 14.56 inches diameter. Polacca (Arizona), MNA.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Historic Pueblo pottery has, to a large extent, retained the formal vocabulary of the prehistoric pots. - Zuni pot with the "heartline" motif in the body ofthe deer, approximately 11.2 inches diameter. 19th century. MNA.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Historic Pueblo pottery has, to a large extent, retained the formal vocabulary of the prehistoric pots. - Hopi pot, lower arm and hand with one finger only indicated, made between 1628 and 1750. Diameter: 10 inches. ASM.
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Historic Pueblo pottery has, to a large extent, retained the formal vocabulary of the prehistoric pots. - Pottery bowl with feather design (comparable to the painted Mimbres pot on page 160). Made in about 1957 by Maria Martinez, one of the best known contemporary Pueblo potters, from Pueblo San Ildefonso, New Mexico. Diameter: 11.88 inches.
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Hohokam clay figurines, found at many large archaeological sites, ASM. - Two ochre-colored deer. Length: 5.2 inches
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Hohokam clay figurines, found at many large archaeological sites, ASM. - Two big-horn sheep with geometric designs in red; the eyes are greatly emphasized. Height: 6.4 inches
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Anasazi pottery - Crudely finished pot; gray, outer and inner surfaces lightly polished; 8.4 inches diameter. Kayenta Branch, ASM
ASM = Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson (Arizona)

Anasazi pottery - Pitcher with handle, black on white, with geometric designs. Height: 5.48 inches. MNA
MNA = Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Arizona)

Hopi pot, black on ochre, cylindrical shape, with stylized bird design, made about 1930. Height: 9.6 inches. MVM.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Water jug (olla), with incised lines typical of the black-an-white pottery of Mesa Verde. The thongs fastened around it are of yucca for ease of canying. Diameter: 14.4 inches. Wetherill Mesa, Mesa Verde, MVM.
MVM = Mesa Verde National Park Museum (Colorado)

Hohokam pottery with geometric and naturalistic designs. - Flat bowl, red on ochre. Diameter: 12 inches. HMP
HMP = Heard Museum, Phoenix (Arizona)