Santa Clara Melon Pot, 1998
by David Baca
clay
2 5/8" high x 3 7/8" diameter
The son of Antonio and Angela Baca, grandson of Severa and Cleto Tafoya, David Baca is a potter from Santa Clara Pueblo. Like his sisters Annie and Leona, he grew up learning how to make traditional Santa Clara pottery from his mother and grandmother. He, too, seems to have specialized in making melon jars, although his were often more like seed pots, some with elongated necks.
David signed most of his pieces: "David Yellow Mountain Baca Santa Clara" with a mountain hallmark ("Yellow Mountain" is the translation of his Tewa name).
