Just outside of the little town of Casas Grandes is an incredible museum which tells the story of the Paquime culture, a group of people closely related to tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. The pueblo ruins, pictured above, remain at the side of the museum and reflect a civilization with advanced skills and knowledge that allowed them to not just survive, but to thrive in a less than hospitable, sometimes unmerciful environment. Development of cisterns, water filtration systems, and irrigation of crops with water brought from 15 meters below the surface of the ground indicated a deep understanding of many of the modern concepts of engineering and physics. These resourceful, tenacious people lived harmoniously on the land for many hundreds of years, partnered with the native flora and fauna. With hand-fashioned weapons, the men hunted the giant bison and deer that roamed the land in countless numbers, while the women and children gathered food provided by plants . . . the roots, fruits and shoots! Nothing went to waste . . . meat fed their families, bones became tools, utensils and weapons; hides were transformed into clothing. The powdery-fine soil of the area was mixed with water to make clay, used for bricks and pots. The pigments found in the native ores were used to create beautiful and intricate designs on the pots. The pottery tradition continues today in the nearby village of Mata Ortiz. Paquimes societies were complex with spiritual ceremonies and athletic competitions assuming a significant part of their culture and social structure. Tribes came together for competitions, to trade goods and for comradery. At times, the tribal exchanges became violent . . . Sometime around 1,100 A.D., the encampment at Casas Grandes was abandoned. Possibly, invading tribes from the North attacked and destroyed the village. But, certain traditions have survived and lived on into the present. Recently, we were fortunate to meet some of the artists who have continued the art of creating pottery in the Paquime tradition . . .
Mata Ortiz seemed deserted as we entered from the smooth highway which lead us from Nuevo Casas Grandes, onto the dustystreets of this village of 2000 inhabitants. We had expected slick shops and people enticing us to buy the pottery for which this town is reknown, but not a soul was there to welcome our arrival. A sign outside one small gated home indicated that there was pottery for sale inside but the locked gate made the way impassible. As we struggled with the gate, we were approached by a woman who spoke only in Spanish and pointed to a car with the trunk open. Soon, pots of all sizes, designs and colors were displayed on the ground. Before we had a chance to examine all the wares of this first family of artists, another car arrived, laden with another talented family's work....then another car and another arrived. Within a very short time, word spread throughout town of our arrival. We were dizzy with the waves of people and the incredible display of pottery spread before us. Then, along came Maria, the tiny, ancient matriarch of the town, with no more teeth than you could count on one hand. Her head and shoulders covered with a red shawl, she carried/brandished a walking stick and wore a chartreuse pant suit. She was the local marketing guru! Though she spoke not a word of English, she charmed us with her sparkling eyes and delightful, raucous laugh. We had no choice but to follow her to the favored artists' studios. Those in the street, with their wares displayed on blankets, seemed to accept Maria's pull on us. We explained to the crowd in our broken Spanish that we would be back after we had inspected what Maria had to show us. When it came time to buy, there was an undercurrent of intensity and high expectations as we began to make our selections. We left Mata Ortiz after about a three hour visit, laden with treasures and leaving behind pesos in our wake. The people we met there were gracious and friendly, reaching out without hesitation to this foreign couple in the big red truck . . . Once again, we were blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment