Martinez, Maria Montoya (1884–1980)

US potter. Together with husband, Julian Martinez, she rediscovered the technique of ancient Pueublo Indian pottery, producing the burnished silvery black-on-black ware, made without the wheel, at San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. After Julian's death in 1943, she continued to produce these traditional wares alone and with her family. Invited to the White House by four presidents, and the recipient of two honorary doctorates, she was asked to lay the cornerstone for the Rockefeller Center.

Martinez was born in San Idelfonso Pueblo, New Mexico. She first made polychrome pottery in 1897, decorating it with red clays and a black pigment made from guacho, a wild spinach. Her work with traditional pottery began after she and her husband were asked to recreate pieces from ancient pottery shards found in Fryoles Canyon.