Ware Name: Middle Rio Grande White Ware

First posted by C. Dean Wilson

The earliest white ware occurring in sites in the Galisteo Basin display the fine dark pastes similar to that noted for Santa Fe Black-on-white produced in adjacent regions. This type can be easily distinguished from Santa Fe Black-on-white by the use of low-clays derived from shale formations from geological outcrops. The presence of a white paste has sometimes been attributed by some as reflecting influences from regions in the Colorado Plateau where similar paint, clays, and tempers were utilized in the production of contemporaneous types such as Mesa Verde Black-on-white. Another explanation is that such similarities may reflect the use of clays derived from shale outcrops from similar formations at used in the production of Northern San Juan pottery. In the Rio Grande region outcrops associated with these formations are largely limited to the Galisteo Basin. Similar pottery found in the westernmost areas of the Middle Rio Grande has been assigned to San Ignacio Black-on-white (Hurst). This type has not yet been described in this web-site but may provide a link between Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white and Galisteo Black-on-white.

Related Types

• Galisteo Black-on-white