Late Native-Made Brownware

This reconstructable vessel was found on the west side of the Guadalupe Mountains by Lynn Robinson. Though
originally labeled as a Jornada brownware it is not within that tradition. It is clearly within historic and ancient
Apache territory but this does not make it Apache. The Apache raided and traded with other native residents
and we do not yet understand the full range of pottery variability characteristic of each of these groups,
especially since they recruited new members from neighboring tribes. This vessel has affinities to the Piro and
Tigua mission-made wares of El Paso in thickness, surface treatment, and perhaps paste.

It is rare to find complete or reconstructable vessels from the terminal prehistoric and historic periods in the
southern Southwest. This is because the less pottery was used; instead basketry, skin sacks, and fiber nets
were more common. Many vessels were thinner than their prehistoric counterparts and the general lack of
polishing did not protect the surface. Also, vessels were often fired at lower temperatures making them more
susceptable to breakage so we tend to find sherds. Sites are often on slopes and the sherds wash down slope,
dispersing, making them more difficult to find and then reconstruct.