Eustace, Felecita

Felecita Herrera Eustace (1927-2016) was a traditional potter from Cochiti Pueblo. For most of her pottery career she made female storyteller figures and gave each a lot of babies to sing their stories to. One of her hallmarks was the sweetness of their faces with their always-smiling eyes.

Census records indicate that Felecita was raised by Nestor and Laurencita Herrera and may have been an older half-sister of Seferina (Herrera) Ortiz.

Like Helen Cordero, Felecita learned how to make pottery from Juanita Cordero Arquero. Juanita and Helen had been trying to make some money with leather and beadwork but their profits were eaten by the cost of new materials. So Helen’s husband Fred suggested they go back to making pottery because the materials came from Mother Earth and they were free. Juanita had learned to make pottery as she was growing up and she tried to teach Helen. Helen had a hard time because her pots didn’t come out right. Then she tried making figures and found her forte.

Juanita continued making her usual traditional pottery for a while, then she went into making storytellers and other figures, too. But she taught Felecita how to make pottery in those years in between.

For the first few years after she learned how, Felecita made traditional polychrome Cochiti jars and dough bowls. It was in 1986 that she made her first figure. It wasn’t a storyteller. But within a few years, Felecita was being sought after for her storytellers.

Felecita married Ben Eustace, a potter and jeweler originally from Zuni Pueblo. They had seven children together and several learned to make both pottery and jewelry. In addition to making pottery, Felecita also made some jewelry.

Felecita was a participant in the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial for years, winning multiple ribbons for her pottery at both.