Ancestral O’odham crafted pottery for their everyday needs, including storage, hauling, and cooking. The amount of pottery produced in the region was massive and made mostly by women. Many pots were made with rocks rich with a substance called mica, which gave the pots a wonderful glittery appearance.
The pots tended to have a red slip layer on the outside, giving them a distinct red appearance. The red color was achieved by finding clay rich in calcium carbonate. If cooked too hot, the calcium carbonate would decompose into lime and flake off the pot. To prevent this, pot makers found clay that was also rich in salt, which raised the temperature at which the calcium carbonate would decompose.
There were also pots made to look lighter by decorating the outside with small grooves and filling them with color. Eventually, crafters mastered making lighter hues for a wash that lightened the background colors as well.
