Paulita Pacheco

Santo Domingo Pueblo

Billy Veale with Gilbert and Rose Pacheco
Billy Veale, Gilbert and Rose Pacheco

Paulita Pacheco (1943-2008) was a member of the Fire Clan at Santo Domingo. Her husband and helper Gilbert (1940-2010) was a member of the Corn Clan at Santo Domingo.

Paulita began working with clay relatively early in life. She worked with her mother, Juanita C. Tenorio, and grandmother, Andrea Ortiz, to gather natural pigments on the grounds of Santo Domingo Pueblo before she was even a teenager. Later on she learned the full process from start to finish under the hands of Robert Tenorio, her brother.

Gilbert was probably digging clay with his elders about the same time. Together they have hand-coiled, shaped, decorated and fired many shapes and sizes of pottery through the years.

However, they started out together making stone strung jewelry, until Paulita's eyes gave out. That's when her brother stepped in and offered to teach her how to make pottery.

They passed it forward when they taught their daughter Rose and her Navajo husband, Billy Veale, to make traditional Santo Domingo pottery, too. After Paulita had a stroke, Gilbert was left pretty much on his own to support them. Rose and Billy stepped up and helped both of them get through those final years of their lives by assisting them in continuing to make pottery.

Hilda and Arthur Coriz were Paulita's sister-in-law and brother, Ione Coriz her niece, Warren Coriz her nephew-in-law.

Paulita's pottery was signed sometimes just "Paulita" but usually "Paulita Pacheco Santo Domingo Pueblo" with a corn stalk denoting Gilbert's clan affiliation.


Geometric design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar decorated with a geometric design
8.25 in H by 8.5 in Dia
Black and white geometric design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar decorated with a black and white geometric design
8.5 in H by 8.25 in Dia
Geometric design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar decorated with a geometric design
8 in H by 10.5 in Dia
Geometric design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar decorated with a geometric design
13 in H by 14.25 in Dia
Bird and geometric design on a polychrome serving dish
Polychrome serving dish decorated with a bird and geometric design
2 in H by 7.5 in W by 10 in L
An antelope and geometric design inside a polychrome bowl with legs
A polychrome bowl with legs and decorated with an antelope and geometric design
4.5 in H by 9.75 in Dia
Birds and geometric design on a polychrome serving dish
Polychrome serving dish decorated with a bird and geometric design
2 in H by 5.5 in W by 11.5 in L
A bird, goat, plant and geometric design on a polychrome hooded bowl
A polychrome hooded bowl decorated with a bird, goat, plant and geometric design
11.25 in Dia by 9.75 in H
An animal and geometric design decorate the inside of a polychrome bowl with a geometric design on the outside
A polychrome bowl decorated with aa animal and geometric design on the inside and a geometric design around the body on the outside
5 in H by 14 in Dia

Santo Domingo Pueblo Potters