First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

Springerville Polychrome was defined by Danson (1957) as a variant of St Johns Polychrome and described as a type by Carlson (1970). The production of Springerville Polychrome was short spanning the second half of the thirteenth century, and it appears to have been transitional between St Johns Polychrome and later White Mountain Red Ware tradition polychrome types.

This type is similar to St Johns Polychrome with sherd temper, light color pastes, and orange slip (Carlson 1970). Decorative styles applied in black paint also appear to be identical to those noted for St Johns Polychrome. Springerville Polychrome is distinguished from St Johns Polychrome bowls by the use of small amounts black pigment with white clay paint on the same surface. This included the addition of thin outlines in white paint around black designs on the interior surface and thin lines of black paint on the edge of heavier designs executed in white clay paint, Exterior motifs are organized in a solid band and include opposed terraces, chevrons, wavy lines, solid triangles and flagged triangles.

References:
Carlson, Roy L.
1970 White Mountain Redware Pottery Tradition of East-Central New Mexico. Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona, No. 19. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Danson, Edward B.
1957 An Archaeological Survey of West Central New Mexico and East Central Arizona. Papers of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, Bulletin No. 44 (1), Cambridge.

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Springerville Polychrome bowl sherd (interior surface)

Springerville Polychrome bowl sherd (interior surface)

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Springerville Polychrome bowl

Springerville Polychrome bowl