Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pottery

Some of the most impressive historic Pueblo pottery was created at Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico. The clay in the region is quite elastic, allowing potters to make sizable vessels, such as jars, ollas (storage containers with a narrow neck), and dough bowls. Historic Santo Domingo pottery has an attractive buff-colored clay and the pots themselves are decorated with a cream-colored slip with black (and sometimes red polychrome) designs. The use of negative space by Santo Domingo potters is notable, giving much early Santo Domingo pottery a modern, abstract quality. Since 2009, the pueblo has been officially known by their traditional name, Kewa Pueblo.