SPANISH AMERICAN POTTERY MANUFACTURE IN NEW MEXICO: A CRITICAL REVIEW.

The claim is periodically made for the existence of an Hispano ceramic tradition in Northern New Mexico. The accuracy of that claim is mired in local folklore and anchored more or less firmly in published archaeological speculation. Neither the origins, distribution nor time depth of such a tradition are known, but references to Spanish American pottery making are limited to the 1930s. This article reviews both the folklore and the speculation, not for the purpose of disproving or validating either, but in order to establish a framework for asking why and under what conditions Hispanos in New Mexico may or may not have made pottery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]