Pottery described here as Hispanic (Manzano) Polished Black was first defined by Hurt and Dick 1946 as Manzano Burnished Blackware and more recently as Hispanic Blackware . Examples of pottery assigned to this type resemble those assigned to Kapo Tewa Polished Black, known to have been produced by Tewa pottery. Hispanic polished black pottery may be distinguished by the presence of small to large sand temper and a friable paste (Levine 1981). Interior and exterior surfaces are often black to gray resulting from intentional sooting during the later steps of firing. Surfaces are often covered with a red slip on the upper portion of the vessel that tends to exhibit a greater degree of polish. Polish is consistently reflected on jar exteriors and bowl interiors, although the degree of polish is moderate and tends to be less than in some examples of Tewa or Kapo Polished Black. Exteriors of bowls are sometimes unpolished. Polished surfaces are gray to black. Vessels tend to be relatively and include bowls soup plates, bowls, molded bowls and ollas.

References:
Carrillo, Charles M.
1997 Hispanic New Mexican Pottery: Evidence of Craft Specialization 1790-1890, LPBD Press, Albuquerque

Hurt, Wesley R., and Herbert Dick
1946 Spanish-American Pottery from New Mexico. El Palacio 53(1).

Related Photos

Hispanic (Manzano) Polished Black bowl sherd

Hipanic (Manzano) Polished Black bowls

Hipanic (Manzano) Polished Black bowls

Hipanic (Manzano) Polished Black bowl (interior)

Hipanic (Manzano) Polished Black bowl (exterior)