Ancestral Puebloan pottery refers to ceramic vessels made by the ancient peoples of the American Southwest from about 500–1600 CE. These pots were hand-built using local clay, shaped with coil-building, and fired in open earthen kilns. Designs often feature bold black-on-white geometric patterns, checkerboard motifs, spirals, and abstract symbolism that reflects astronomy, water, migration, and community. The pottery served both everyday functions—cooking, storage, ceremony—and acted as a cultur