Vigil, Martina

Martina Vigil (1856-1916) was a potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo. She collaborated with her husband, Florentino Montoya (1858-1918), in making pottery. They were excellent potters and very well known for the time. Recalling that she enjoyed watching them making pottery when she was a child, Maria Martinez said, “Florentino, he was old, and he painted, oh, very good.” They also taught their niece, Tonita Pena, to paint.

In 1999, one of their pots sold at auction for $96,000 dollars, setting a world record price for a Native American pot at the time.