Each pueblo of the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico and beyond to the pueblos of Zuni, Hopi and Acoma, creates a distinct type of pottery reflecting natural materials and particular motifs. Pueblo pottery is created from hand collected clays, and coiled, scraped, polished and painted with natural vegetal or mineral pigments before being pit fired outside with a variety of fuels particular to that pueblo or potter. For millennia, pottery has been traded throughout the region.
Traditional Navajo pottery is distinguished by its pitch glaze. Contemporary pieces reflect different styles and methods, including etchware and stamped designs.