As a small boy Juan Quezada roamed the hills and valleys around the tiny village of Estacion Juan Mata Ortiz in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, near the Paquimé ruins. The Paquimé traded with other Pueblo region tribes such as Taos, Acoma, Zuni and Hopi. ............................................................Young Juan would collect ancient pottery sherds, and sometimes would find whole pots. Over the years, and with much trial and error he successfully dedicated himself to discovering and restoring this ancient artistic and technical knowledge. ..................................................
In 1976 anthropologist Spencer MacCallum discovered a few of Juan's pots in a junk store in New Mexico. At first glance he thought they might be original ancient works. "Those pots spoke to me". He recognized in them substantial artistic ability, and set out to find their creator.
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When MacCallum knocked on Juan's door in the shabby village, Juan was surprised anyone would be so interested in his pots. Today, those pots sell for as high as $10,000, and are displayed in museums around the world. .....................................................
.....Juan Quezada shared his good fortune with his family and neighbors by teaching them the trade. Today it is estimated that there are approximately 400 potters in Mata Ortiz, all making a living, or substantially augmenting their income from what has evolved to fine art pottery. The economy of the entire village has not only been enhanced, but saved from certain ruin thanks to the miracle of this artistic and economic movement. .........................................................................................
.....Using clay locally dug from the surrounding hills, the potters of Mata Ortiz form treasures completely by hand, even without the use of a pottery wheel. This fine art pottery features surprisingly thin walls and amazingly symmetrical designs painted with brushes often made with a single strand of a child's hair.
The pottery is low temperature fired outdoors, not in a kiln, often using cow manure or split cottonwood as fuel. ..................................................
New generations of master potters are not only keeping the movement alive, but also evolving it to even higher benchmarks of artistic excellence and variety as Mata Ortiz pottery continues to be highly collectible. ............................................................
............SATISFACTION.............................................................................................
We are committed to the proposition that you must be absolutely thrilled with your purchase, or you get your money back.
Authenticity and your satisfaction are always guaranteed. We work directly with the artists to insure the best art for the best prices.
The artists are always treated by us with the utmost respect, and are fairly rewarded for their talent and time intensive artistic labor.
We also respect both US and Mexican customs law. All importation is done above board. We are committed to bringing you a wide variety of pottery from the village of Mata Ortiz to please the most discerning collector to the young student.
Specialties:
At CasaDeMataOrtiz we are dedicated to bringing this fine art to the world. Our offerings are aimed at all who can appreciate this incredible art, from 5th grader to accomplished collector. We offer it to you at a fraction of the prices you will find in fine gift stores and galleries.
Places to Find Us:
Our Website:
http://CasaDeMataOrtiz.com
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Shipping:
Our policy is to ship within 2 days of payment, but normally shipments go out immediately via insured USPS Priority mail.
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Returns accepted. Item must be returned within 14 days. Refunds are in the form of money back or exchange. Refund is on purchase price only. Shipping and handling are excluded except in cases of erroneous description.
All purchases and winning bids and offers must be paid for within 5 days. If you are not making an instant payment through pay-pal, please notify us so we can look for your check or money order/cashiers check. We must know within 5 days that payment is on it's way.
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