Pacheco, Paulita

A member of the Fire clan, Paulita Tenorio was born into Santo Domingo Pueblo in 1943. Her husband, Gilbert Pacheco, was born into the Santo Domingo Corn clan in 1940. Paulita was inspired to work with clay by her mother, Juanita Tenorio, and her grandmother, Andrea Ortiz. As a teenager Paulita helped her mother and grandmother gathering the necessary materials on pueblo grounds for making pottery. Eventually she learned to coil pots and paint them, assisted in this by her brother, Robert Tenorio. But first she married Gilbert and they made a living making stone strung jewelry. Then her eyes started to go.

Gilbert also worked with his elders gathering clay and other materials as a child and teenager. But he became a jeweler and worked with Paulita until her eyes gave out. That’s when Robert Tenorio offered to teach her and Gilbert how to make pottery. Working together, Gilbert and Paulita produced a lot of polychrome bowls, pitchers and jars, decorated mostly with traditional Santo Domingo bird, plant and geometric designs. Together they participated in Santa Fe Indian Market, the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show and the Santo Domingo Pueblo Arts and Craft Show for years. They began earning awards in 1988 and collected a sizable number of ribbons through the 1990s and early 2000s. Gilbert and Paulita signed their pieces with: Paulita Pacheco and a corn symbol denoting Gilbert’s clan.

Arthur and Hilda Coriz were Paulita’s sister and brother-in-law. Andrew (William Andrew) Pacheco is Paulita and Gilbert’s son. Rose Pacheco is their daughter. As Paulita’s health deteriorated, Rose and her Dineh boyfriend, Billy Veale, helped Gilbert and Paulita more and more. By the time Gilbert passed on, they had essentially assumed the family business.

Paulita passed on in 2008, Gilbert followed in 2010.

Andrea says Gilbert had a fun sense of humor. He often told her he was going to work very hard so he could save his money to take her out for a very special dinner at McDonald’s.