Casas Grandes (or Paquimé) is a stunning adobe site in the Chihuahuan desert of northern Mexico that flourished from about A.D.1200 to 1450, reaching its zenith after the fall of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. Because of its remote location only the most dedicated of tourists make it to this magnificent ruin. In this volume, the Tucson Museum of Art has assembled a stunning collection of Casas Grandes exquisite and unusual pottery.
The pottery is perhaps the most dramatic of the ancient Southwest, with its abstract naturalistic designs of macaws, snakes, and birds. Humans are portrayed in a variety of poses that challenge modern art historians to produce a viable interpretation. All of this is imbedded within complex geometric designs that tickle the fancy and seem more modern than ancient.
Joanne Stuhr, curator of the Tucson Museum of Art, Christine and Todd Van Pool of the University of New Mexico, Eduardo Gamboa Carrera of the Instituto National de Arte y Historia, and John Ware of the Amerind Foundation provide interpretive essays on the art, archaeology, and culture of Casas Grandes.
Charles Di Peso pioneered the study of Casas Grandes with extensive excavations between 1958 and 1961 that produced a great deal of information and some grand theories. In recent years, Mexican and American archaeologists have rediscovered the lure of the Chihuahuan borderland, producing much needed information about this region.
This volume is an important contribution as well as a feast for the eyes. Luckily, the tradition did not die with the demise of Casas Grandes. Some 550 years later, local villagers have resurrected the pottery tradition of ancient times and now produce exquisite pieces for sale throughout the United States and Mexico. More than 300 potters now shape ceramics that frequently surpass those of the ancients and bring income to the impoverished region.
