Elizabeth is arguably the finest of all traditional Zia potters. Admittedly, there are probably fewer than 12 potters still active at this small pueblo, but Elizabeth is a fine potter by any pueblo’s standard.
She was born at Jemez Pueblo in 1956 to Mary S. Toya. As a child she recalls helping her mother make poster-painted pottery. Upon her marriage to Marcellus Medina of Zia, she moved to that pueblo and learned to make traditional Zia pottery from her mother-in-law, Sofia Medina.
Sofia was, and still is, an extremely fine potter and Elizabeth calls her her inspiration. They collaborated for a while and then Elizabeth was able to strike out on her own. She has since won many, many awards and her pots are in numerous collections.
Her husband, Marcellus, is a fine painter and he often paints Pueblo dancers on her pots. In fact, the two of them worked together on a magnificent pot that was awarded to the winning team in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl in 2006.
