For almost two thousand years, the pottery made by the Indians of
America's Southwest has remained a vital art. Today, more than twenty
Pueblos and tribes make pottery within the tradition, each with a
distinctive style. Many of those local styles have persisted for
hundreds of years. In prehistory, beautiful pieces had high trade value,
and the finest contemporary pieces command prices appropriate to fine
art of any type. Potters like Nampeyo, Maria Martinez and Juan Quezada
achieved worldwide fame. Yet despite its history and the skill of its
artists, Southwestern Indian pottery remains surprisingly easy to
collect. This book introduces the art from its beginnings to the present
and displays examples that describe how America's first important art
form grew into one of the world's most accessible treasures.