Pottery type
Kayenta Black-on-White Pottery
Kayenta Black-on-White1260 - 1300 A.D.Ancestral Puebloan PotteryKey facts
- Age
- 1260 - 1300 A.D.
- Cultural period
- Ancestral Puebloan Pottery
- Material
- Fine clay with small amounts of very fine quartz sand temper; surfaces are white to light pearl gray. Designs are painted with carbon-based black paint that fires to a deep, non-gritty black.
Description
White ware with a light gray to white surface and rich black carbon paint. Designs are very finely executed with negative patterns, tight hachure, and “mosquito bar” effects, often creating dense, high-contrast geometric panels. Vessel forms include bowls, jars, and colanders typical of the Kayenta region.
Size
Bowls typically 16–28 cm in diameter; jars roughly 20–35 cm tall; colanders similar in size to bowls but heavily perforated. Wall thickness is moderate but well standardized.
Distribution
Centered in Tsegi Canyon and surrounding Kayenta region of northeastern Arizona, extending southeast toward the Hopi Mesas and into adjacent parts of Utah and New Mexico via trade.
Mainly found in
Additional information
Kayenta Black-on-White represents a late development in Tusayan/Kayenta whiteware traditions and is closely associated with Pueblo III occupation in northeastern Arizona and the Tsegi/Hopi Mesa corridor. It is an important indicator of late pre-migration Kayenta communities.