Martinez, Pauline

Pauline Martinez was born into Santa Clara Pueblo in 1950. Her mother was Cresencia Tafoya, her grandmother was Tomacita Gutierrez Tafoya and her great-grandmother was Pasqualita Tani Gutierrez. Among her siblings were Harriet Tafoya, Annie Baca, and Mark Tafoya. She grew up surrounded by some of the finest Santa Clara Pueblo potters, then she married George Martinez. George was the son of Adam and Santana Martinez, from San Ildefonso Pueblo. Contrary to Puebloan tradition, she moved to his home after the marriage.

The Santa Clara and San Ildefonso clays are very similar and their methods of working those clays similar, too. But once she’d moved, the majority of Pauline’s basic designs were sourced from San Ildefonso.