Armando Rodriguez

Mata Ortiz

Armando Rodriguez learned the traditional art from his younger brother Manolo. While he'd rather be tending his cattle he's learned that working with clay allows him to expand his herd and buy better horses to work with.

Olivia Mora de Rodriguez, Armando's wife, helps by making medium-size ollas of red clay that Armando then paints, often with detailed designs of small black squares that completely cover the pot. Olivia also produces pots in her own name using a similar design motif. She has also been teaching the art to their children.