First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012. Revised 2017

Vallecitos Black-on-white was defined by Mera (1935), and the type site is LA 258 (Vallecitos Pueblo). This type refers to white ware forms with slips and temper Jemez Black-on-white but exhibiting earlier styles (Wiseman 2014). The great majority of pottery assigned Vallecitos Black-on-white represent bowls although jars are present. Both surfaces of bowls are commonly covered with a relatively thick, and well-polished, pearly white slip, although bowl interiors may sometimes be unslipped and in rare cases are unpolished. sometimes crackled white slip. Pastes are a light gray to gray color, and while distinct are not as dark as that Jemez Black-on-white. Temper usually consist of sand/or vitric tuff. Designs are executed in a black organic paint in layouts and patterns similar to those noted for Santa Fe Black-on-white, with designs commonly organized in a band layout. The bands are usually oriented around a single large framing line although multiple framing lines are sometimes resent. Commonly occurring design motifs include checkerboard, opposed solid and hatched motifs, opposing solid triangles, stepped lines, parallel lines, pendant and stepped triangles. Rim ticking is present but rare. Vallecitos Black-on-white has a very limited distribution in the Jemez drainage although pottery recovered from sites in Rio Puerco of the east (Sundt 1972; Pippen 1987). This type appears to date from about A.D. 1250 to 1350 (Wiseman 2014).

References:
Makey, James
1982 Vallecito Pueblo (A Fourteenth Century A.D., Ancestral Jemez Site), and La 12761 (A Late Prehistoric-Early Historic Phase Farm House Site)New Mexico. Journal of Intermontain Archaeology 1(2): 80-89.

Mera, H. P.
1935 Ceramic Clues to the Prehistory of North Central New Mexico. Laboratory of Anthropology Technical Series Bulletin No. 8. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Pippin, Lonnie C.
1987 Prehistory and Paleoecology of Guadalupe Ruin, New Mexico. University of Utah Anthropological Papers 112, Salt Lake City.

Sundt, William M.
1972 Ceramics in Prieta Vista, A Small Pueblo III Ruin in North-Cental New Mexico, by R. A. Bice and W. M. Sundt, pp. 98-176. Albuquerque Archaeological Society, Albuquerque.

Related Photos

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white jar sherds

Vallecitos Black-on-white bowl