Juan Quezada was a young mestizo living at the pueblo of Mata

Because of the resemblance to the ancient Casas Grandes pieces, the local traders sold them as prehistoric pottery. Juan Quezada began signing his pottery, just like the well known potters in the U.S., but the traders continued to sell his work as prehistoric, having ground Quezada’s signature off in sand. Quezada then began etching his signature, which became a characteristic of the Mata Ortiz pottery, a modern Southwestern pottery style movement launched by Quezada, after being discovered and promoted by an American anthropologist Spencer McCallum. Quezada eventually taught most of the Mata Ortiz population the art of pottery, by which he transformed the economy of the pueblo, and became a world known celebrity[1].

This effigy vessel, probably portraying a bear, shows magnificent

execution of form as well as painted geometric design, based on the ancient Casas Grandes pottery. This has been an extremely difficult piece of pottery to find referenced photographically[1]. One of the most interesting aspects of this piece is an area on the bottom, which shows obvious evidence of surface grinding, consistent with where a signature would have been located, as well as coarseness suggesting sand or a stone being used to grind it off. These facts, as well as the lack of any reference found so far relating to this style of work by any other potterymakers, allows us attribute this as an early work of Juan Quezada.

on paws may be part of the original manufacturing process imperfections.

? - 1988. Collection of Col. Raymond C. Vietzen, Elyria, Ohio. Col. Vietzen was an amateur archaeologist who did much excavation of Midwestern sites, resulting in his extensive private collection, a private museum in Elyria, Ohio, and several published books. He died in 1995.