Polychrome Pot by Blue Corn, San Ildefonso Pueblo

Polychrome Pot by Blue Corn (1921-1999), San Ildefonso Puebloclay, pigment1 5/8" high x 2 7/8" diameterBorn around 1921 in San Ildefonso, Blue Corn (Crucita Gonzales Calabaza) became famous for reviving San Ildefonso polychrome wares and had a very long and productive career. Her grandmother first introduced her to pottery making at the age of three. Maria Martinez's sister gave her the name 'Blue Corn' during the naming ceremony, which is the Native American tradition of naming a child. Blue Corn attended school at the pueblo in her early years. She then went to Santa Fe Indian school, which was 24 miles from home. While attending Indian School in Santa Fe her mother and father died and she was sent to live with relatives in Southern California. Here she worked as a maid for a short time in Beverly Hills. At the age of 20, she married Santiago 'Sandy' Calabaza who was a silversmith from Santo Domingo pueblo. Together they settled at San Ildefonso where she bore and raised ten children