First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

Pottery first classified as Agua Fria Glaze-on-red by Mera (1933)includes most of the red slipped pottery assigned to the Glaze A group as well as that assigned to Glaze I by Kidder and Shepard (1936). Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red represents one of the most common and widespread glaze ware types, and was produced in massive quantities in villages across the Middle Rio Grande as well as the Rio Abajo regions (Mera 1940; Morales 1997). The wide extent of production of Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red is reflected by examples displaying a range of tempers and pastes (Shepard 1942). While rim sherds assigned to Aqua Fria-glaze on red are most common at contexts dating to the early part of the Classic period (A.D.1315 to 1425), similar forms may have been produced in lower frequency during the entire glaze ware sequence (Schleler 2011). A strong case for a very long sequence of production for this type seems to be represented in areas south of Albuquerque, where similar glaze ware bowls were produced during the entire span associated with glaze ware production (Shepard 1942). Thus, the low occurrence of Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red at later contexts is not always indicative of mixing from earlier components.

Bowl rims assigned to Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red usually exhibit straight curving profiles (Franklin 1987: Warren 1979; Warren and Snow 1976). Some examples, exhibiting combinations of characteristics warranting their classification as Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red, exhibit some flattening or beveling that may grade into Glaze B or even Glaze C types. An everted rim variant of Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red has previously been given type status as Sanchez Glaze-on-red (Warren and Snow 1976). It is likely that such forms reflect the wide range of variation in rim treatment within the time span this type was produced, and thus is not included here as a distinct type. Slips may vary from dark red or maroon, red-orange, to reddish-brown. Later examples of this type are sometimes light orange and may blend into Cieneguilla Glaze-on-yellow.

The glaze paint exhibits very little evidence of dripping or spreading of the design elements, and is usually black in color. In rare cases pigments may be brown or green. The glaze exhibits a light sheen, and edges are well defined. Rims are sometimes ticked with short straight or diagonal lines. Paste is usually orange to red, although gray cores are fairly common. Bowls are always decorated on the interior and only very rarely painted on the exterior surfaces. Bowls are usually decorated in a banded pattern on the interior. These bands are commonly framed (usually by a single thick framing line) although unframed examples seem to also be fairly common consisting of just over half of the total examples of this type. Interior decorations are organized into a series of repeating rectangular shaped panels that that began just below the rim. Paneled segments are usually repeated four times and are commonly separated by either a thick line between two narrow lines or just two narrow lines. While similar designs are sometimes repeated in these panels, they often consist of repeated versions of different patterns which often reflect slight differences of expressions of similar designs or effects. Panels often consist of several opposing motifs which together create dramatic effects which may include distinct negative spaces. Much of the lower part of the interior are undecorated and band tends to be narrower than associated black-on-white and biscuit wares in particular (Kidder and Shepard 1936). Decorations include dots, parallel and chevron lines, ticks, solid pendant triangles, stepped triangles, stepped keys, checkerboard, and stylized birds.

References:
Franklin, Hayward
1997 Valencia Pueblo Ceramics. In Excavations at Valencia Pueblo (LA 953) and a Nearby Hispanic Settlement (LA 67321), Valencia County, New Mexico. edited by K.L. Brown and B.J. Vierra, pp. 125-257. Office of Contract Archaeology Report No. 185-400F, Albuquerque.

Kidder, Alfred V., and Anna O. Shepard
1936 The Pottery of Pecos, Volume II; Glaze Paint, Culinary, and Other Wares. Papers of the Phillips Academy No.7, New Haven.

Mera, H. P.
1933 A Proposed Revision of the Rio Grande Glaze Paint Sequence. Laboratory of Anthropology Technical Series Bulletin No. 5, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

1940 Population Changes in the Rio Grande Glaze-Paint Area. Laboratory of Anthropology Technical Series Bulletin No. 11, Santa Fe.

Morales, Thomas M.
1997 Glazeware Pottery Production and Distribution in the Upper-Middle Rio Grande Valley. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of New Mexico.

Schleher, Kari L.
2010 Ceramic Production at San Marcos Pueblo New Mexico. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico.

Shepard, Anna O.
1942 Rio Grande Glaze Paint Ware: A Study Illustrating the Place of Ceramic Technological Analysis in Archaeological Research. Contributions to American Anthropology and History No. 39. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication No. 528. Washington D.C.

Warren, A., Helene
1979 The Glaze Wares of the Upper Middle Rio Grande. In Archaeological Investigations in Cochiti Reservoir, New Mexico, Vol. 4: Adaptive Changes in the Northern Rio Grande Valley, edited by J. V. Biella and R. C. Chapman, pp. 187–216. Office of Contract Archaeology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

Warren, A., Helene and David H. Snow
1976 Section C: Formal Descriptions of Rio Grande Glazes from LA 70. In Archaeological Excavations at Pueblo del Encierro, LA 70, Cochiti Dam Salvage Project, Cochiti New Mexico, Final Report: 1964-1965 Field Seasons, edited by D. H. Snow, pp. C1-C34. Laboratory of Anthropology Notes No. 78, Santa Fe.

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Aqua Fria Glaze-on-red bowl

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