Stella Naranjo Chavarria

Born into Santa Clara Pueblo in 1939, Stella Tafoya Chavarria is the daughter of Teresita Naranjo, granddaughter of Christina Naranjo and great-granddaughter of Serafina Tafoya.

Stella began making pottery around 1955 and earned her first award at the 1984 Santa Fe Indian Market: 1st Place for a jar up to 8" tall. That was only the first of many awards as Stella became famous for the quality of her blackware jars, bowls and wedding vases. She passed her knowledge and techniques for making pottery the traditional way on to her daughters, Denise Chavarria and Sunday Chavarria, and both have become well-known artists in their own right.