Maria Martinez

Maria Montoya Martinez (1887–1980) was born in San Ildefonso Pueblo. She learned to make pots from an early age from her uncle and aunt, Florentino Montoya and Martina Vigil. In 1904, Maria married Julian Martinez, an accomplished painter, and the two would immediately start showing traditional pottery and dance at expositions including the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, or Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In 1907, Dr. Edgar L. Hewett and the School of American Research began excavating the ancient Pueblo site of Pajarito Plateau. Hewett had Martinez attempt to reproduce black-ware fragments recovered at the site.

While initially known for making polychrome pots, Maria and Julian would develop techniques for creating black-on-black pottery, or pots with a surface that alternates between matte and burnished in different areas of the design. Martinez was the first pueblo potter to consistently sign her pieces, which she began doing in 1923. She worked closely with family members on most of her work, collaborating with Julian, her son Popovi Da, and daughter-in-law Santana Roybal. The family line continues today through multiple direct and indirect descendants, many of whom are potters.

_{Notes:
New Mexico Historic Women. "Maria Montoya Martinez." Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/maria-montoya-martinez-povika-pond-lily/}

_{Shields, Scott A. Pueblo Dynasties: Master Potters from Matriarchs to Contemporaries. Exhibition Pamphlet. Crocker Art Museum, 2019.}