Santa Clara Pueblo Redware Pottery By Clara and Fidel Archuleta

Late 20th Century

5.625" H x 5.5" D

Hand Coiled from Redware with a Deeply Carved Avanyu (Water Serpent) Motif Design Thin Walled Fired Pot

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Very Good Condition

Anna and Fidel Archuleta (often signed as "Anna & Fidel Archuleta" or variations like "Anne and Fidel") are a husband-and-wife collaborative team of traditional potters from Santa Clara Pueblo in northern New Mexico.   They produce both redware (highly polished red slip) and blackware (fired to a deep black), along with some polychrome pieces. The carving is often deeply incised, creating strong visual contrast against the polished background.

Anna Archuleta (born 1953) is the primary potter. She learned the art from her mother, Belen Tapia (a first cousin of the renowned Margaret Tafoya). Anna began making pottery around 1975–1988 and works alongside her sister Anita Suazo (who focuses more on carving). She gathers clay locally from the Pueblo, uses only natural slips, and polishes with stones passed down from her mother.  Fidel performs the deep carving (incising) and the outdoor firing of the pieces.  Their work is known for clean, precise execution with deep, crisp carvings on highly polished surfaces.