SEASON 3 // EPISODE 3: THE TRADE OF POTTERY
A trade of recipes, techniques, and ideas
Pottery is a particularly iconic item in the Southwest, and evidence of its trade across the Four Corners region can be a little surprising… considering moving something fragile and heavy like ceramics would be difficult without carts, wagons, or draft animals.
“People don’t think about the complexities of trade items... what if it wasn’t the pots being traded? What if it was what was in the pots that was being traded?”
BLACK ON WHITE JAR // NPS PHOTO MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
In this episode of Season 3, we hear from Timothy Wilcox, Field Archaeologist and Kari Schleher, Laboratory Manager - colleagues at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center located just north of Mesa Verde National Park. Tim and Kari discuss how we can tell that pottery was being traded across the landscape, why it may have been traded, and what that trade could mean for the Ancestral Pueblo people.
We also hear again from Bridget Ambler, Supervisory Curator for Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum about the trade relationships across what is currently known as Montezuma Valley.
Looking for more?
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
See Ancient, Historic, and Modern Pottery on Exhibit
The National Museum of the American Indian [Washington, D.C.]
American Museum of Natural History [New York City, New York]
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture [Santa Fe, New Mexico]
San Ildefonso Pottery: 1600 - 1930; August 11, 2019 through August 31, 2020
NOTE: Some of these museums and exhibits may be temporarily closed due to COVID-19.
PHOTO // THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDAN
PHOTO // Mark Montgomery, CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, located just northwest of Mesa Verde National Park, is dedicated to understanding, teaching, and preserving the history of the ancestral Pueblo people who inhabited the canyons and mesas of the Mesa Verde region more than 700 years ago.
The mission of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is to empower present and future generations by making the human past accessible and relevant through archaeological research, experiential education, and American Indian knowledge.
Click below to view the Crow Canyon Artifact Gallery for examples of pottery found in the Mesa Verde region, or to follow Crow Canyon on Facebook.
Infinity of Nations
Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian
Read more about the ancient, historic, and modern ceramics in the collections at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Photo // AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
To find more information about the collections at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum - or to plan a visit - check out their website or follow on Facebook.
