Native American Arts

When you buy an elegant turquoise and silver bracelet, a delicately painted ceramic pot or an intricately woven basket or blanket from a Native American artist in Santa Fe, you'll take home a piece of art rooted in an ancient, awesome history.

Nomadic pre-historic Indians first inhabited the region some 12,000 to 30,000 years ago. Their descendants, the Pueblo Indians, began to establish villages between 1200 and 1500 B.C. The Pueblo people's early ancestors wove blankets, baskets, sandals and more using yucca and other fibers and then cotton. They transformed clay collected from the earth into pots and pitchers--utilitarian vessels for cooking and storing food. And they adorned their bodies with turquoise, feathers, and shells traded from coastal tribes.

When the Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century, followed by the Spanish settlers in the early 17th century, the Pueblo people struggled to maintain their independence. Despite the Pueblo revolt in 1680, followed by the Spanish reconquest in 1692, contact with another culture led Pueblo artists in new directions. They combined, for instance, the turquoise they considered sacred with silver to create their now famous jewelry after the Spanish introduced silver mining to the Southwest.

The railroad arrived in Santa Fe in 1880, bringing with it a steady stream of tourists seeking Native American art. Pueblo artists responded, creating unique items intended for the tourist market. A group at Tesuque Pueblo, for example, invented Rain Gods, whimsical clay figures that railroad passengers eagerly bought as souvenirs. In 1964, Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo produced another popular clay figure, the Storyteller, inspiring hundreds of potters from other pueblos to work with the image, too. But no Pueblo artist of the 20th century has achieved more fame than Maria Martinez, the San Ildefonso potter who pioneered the now famous black-on-black pottery in the early 1920s with her husband, Julian. Her pieces remain highly coveted.

Santa Fe's reputation as a center for Native American art expanded yet again when the Institute of American Indian Arts opened its doors in 1962. Today, it serves native students from across the U.S. representing as many as 112 different tribes.

Many Pueblo artists continue to work with the same traditions and tools as their ancestors, producing prized pieces exhibited in Santa Fe museums and sold in Santa Fe galleries and at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. Others embrace a contemporary approach, blending time-honored techniques with cutting-edge media, perhaps, or infusing old traditions with new vision. However they're made, each piece reflects the vibrant history and innate talents of New Mexico's Native American artists.

To learn more, visit our sections on Indian Pueblos and Native American culture.

Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

108 Cathedral Place
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 983-8900

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The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), a center of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), is dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation for contemporary Native art, history and culture through presentation, acquisition, preservation and interpretation.
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts is recognized as the preeminent organizer of exhibitions devoted exclusively to the display of dynamic and diverse arts practices representative of Native North America.

Santa Fe Indian Market

Santa Fe Plaza
(505) 983-5220

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Don’t miss this world-famous market, held toward the end of August, if you’re a fan of Native American art and culture. More than 1,000 artists sell their pottery, weaving, jewelry, basketry and other traditional work and demonstrate their time-honored techniques on the Plaza. Fill up on fry bread, roasted corn and Navajo tacos as well as other foods of the Southwest as you shop and enjoy Pueblo dances,

live music and other entertainment. Get there early because this market typically draws 100,000 visitors from around the globe.

Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show

327 Eagle Drive
San Juan, NM 87566
(505) 747-1593

Fans of Native American art and culture flock to this annual event, held in mid-July at Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo). Hundreds of artists from pueblos and tribes around the country gather to celebrate their heritage, selling an amazing array of arts and crafts and performing ceremonial dances. Started in 1972, this popular festival has drawn crowds who appreciate the fact that it's organized by Native Americans and held on Pueblo land.

Indian Arts & Crafts Board

1849 C Street NW, MS 2528-MIB
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-3773

The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, was created by Congress to promote the economic development of American Indians and Alaska Natives through the expansion of the Indian arts and crafts market. A top priority of the IACB is the implementation and enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990,

Public Law 101-644 as amended, a truth-in-advertising law that provides criminal and civil penalties for marketing products as "Indian-made" when such products are not made by Indians, as defined by the Act.
Under the Act, all Native American and Indian art and craft products must be marketed truthfully regarding Indian heritage and tribal affiliation of the artist or artisan.
The IACB's other activities include educating the Indian arts and crafts industry and consumers about the Act and providing professional business advice and assistance with related marketing issues to Indian artists and artisans and Indian owned businesses, promotional opportunities to Native American artists, artisans, and cultural organizations, and operating three regional Indian museums in Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Montana. The IACB also produces the Source Directory of American Indian and Alaska Native Owned and Operated Arts and Crafts Businesses, a consumer directory of approximately 320 Native American owned and operated arts and crafts business, that is available free of charge.
For a free brochure on the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and how to file a complaint, or for information about other IACB activities, please visit our website, www.iacb.doi.gov, or call the IACB toll free number 1-888-ART-FAKE.

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

710 Camino Lejo
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 476-1250

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The outstanding collection showcases classic and contemporary Southwestern Indian paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, basketry and weaving. A permanent exhibition tracing the life of American Indians, "Here Now and Always" was curated in part by Native American elders, scholars and tribal members.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

2401 12th St., N.W.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 843-7270 or 1-866-855-7902 outside of New Mexico

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The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, located in Albuquerque, serves as an excellent gateway to the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico. Owned and operated by the 19 pueblos, the center chronicles the history and accomplishments of Pueblo people, from the Pre-Columbian era to the present with permanent and changing exhibits in the museum as well as year-round programs and events highlighting art, history, dance and culture. The center's website provides helpful information on each of New Mexico's pueblos, some of which have been been continuously inhabited since before the discovery of America.

Poeh Cultural Center and Museum

78 Cities of Gold Rd.
(505) 455-3334

Learn about the art and culture of New Mexico's Pueblo people at Poeh Center, established by the Pojoaque Pueblo's Tribal Council to preserve and revitalize Pueblo communities of the northern Rio Grande Valley.