Acoma Pueblo

 

Rachel Aragon is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1938 into the Acoma Pueblo. Rachel is a member of the Eagle Clan. Rachel was encouraged and inspired to learn the art of working with clay at the age of 10 from her mother, Lupe Araon. Lupe shared with Rachel all the fundamentals of hand coiling pottery using ancient traditional methods. Rachel graduated from High School in 1958 and then began pursuing a career in working with clay on a more professional level.
Rachel specializes in hand coiled traditional fertility pottery.

She gathers her clay from within the Acoma Pueblo. Then, she soaks the clay, grinds the clay, cleans the clay, hand mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, and hand paints the pottery, using natural pigments which she boils together to produce the natural colors she paints with. Then, she fires her pottery outdoors, with wood chips. She is well known for her light weight pottery and her beautiful hand painted designs. She signs her pottery as: Rachel Aragon, Acoma, N.M. Rachel is related to: Mary Trujillo (sister), Emma Chino (cousin), Marie Torivio (cousin), Carol Loretto, and Geraldine Sando (nieces).


Awards:
-New Mexico State Fair 1st Place
-New Mexico State Fair 2nd Place
-Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd Place


Publications:
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies