Plate

About Plates

All potters agree: plates are some of the hardest pieces to make successfully, because they warp and crack very easily when they are drying and during the firing. The potter really has to know their clay and their temper. The only pieces that are harder to make are tiles, for the same reasons. That's why most tiles are smaller than most plates.

Plates appeared after the advent of colonialism in New Mexico. Prior to selling new Spanish and Mexican settlers the plates, pots, cups, jars and other utensils they wanted, most Native Americans in the Southwest used jars for cooking and bowls for serving the food. They also made the ladles and spoons they needed for cooking and eating. New customers required new products.

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