First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

San Francisco Red was defined by Haury (1936). This type is similar to Alma Plain but exhibits a deep-red slip applied over a brown ware paste clay. Surfaces are well polished and sometimes exhibit a lustrous sheen (Haury 1936; Nesbitt 1939; Wilson 1999). This type is associated with assemblages spanning from the Early Pithouse period to Late Pueblo periods and appears to have been produced form A.D. 200 t0 1200.

The red slip that forms the basis for the identification of San Francisco Red tends to be thin, and temper fragments are sometimes visible through the slip. The red slip adheres well to the surface, although the weathering of the soft surfaces may result in obliteration of much of the the slipped surface. In earlier examples, polishing streaks on slipped surfaces run parallel to the rim and may extend from the rim to the center, forming a radiating pattern. Forms are dominated by bowls but also include olla. A small portion of brown ware sherds from all temporal components displayed red slips, so that San Francisco Red has a temporal span similar to that noted Alma Plain.

References:
Haury, Emil W.
1936 Some Southwestern Pottery Types. Medallion Papers No. 19, Gila Pueblo, Globe.

Nesbitt, Paul H.
1939 Starkweather Ruin: a Mogollon-Pueblo Site in the Upper Gila Area of New Mexico, and Affiliative Aspects of the Mogollon Culture. Logan Museum Publications in Anthropology Bulletin 6. Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin.

Wilson, C. Dean
1999 Ceramic Types and Attributes. In Archaeology of the Mogollon Highlands Settlement Systems and Adaptations; Volume 4. Ceramics, Miscellaneous Artifacts, Bioarchaeology. Bone Tools and Faunal Analysis, edited by Y.R Oakes and D.A. Zamora, pp 5-86. Archaeology Notes 232, Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.

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