Trinidad Gachupin Medina (ca. 1883-1964)

Trinidad Medina stood just over four feet tall, her grandchildren said, and made some of the largest storage jars ever fired at Zia. Wick Miller's tours set her behind railings at department stores and fairs, Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition of 1933 among them, an arrangement she said made her feel "like a cow in a corral." Her dates are unsettled: the panel's 1964 is not the 1969 the dealers give, and most of her work is unsigned. Her great-grandson Marcellus Medina still paints from her sketchbook, and his wife Elizabeth builds the jars.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Trinidad Gachupin Medina (ca. 1883-1964) Zia Pueblo Trinidad Gachupin Medina was the most widely known Zia potter of her time. She was recognized for her large polychrome storage jars. Sponsored by trader Wick Miller, she toured the United States from 1930 to 1946, demonstrating pottery making at department stores and national exhibitions, including the World's Fair held in Chicago. Generations of Zia potters continue this tradition, which she helped to preserve. Official Scenic Historic Marker New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative The New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative was founded in 2005 by members of the New Mexico Women's Forum in a statewide effort to recognize women's contributions to New Mexico history on the state's Official Scenic Historic Markers. The Initiative ensures that women's diverse histories will be remembered and told, and will inspire and provide a guide for future generations. The 2006 Legislature funded the project.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Jemez Historic Site — 20 mi
  The stone walls of a 1620s mission church standing among the ruins of Gisewa, a Jemez village named for the hot springs beside it.
• Petroglyph National Monument — 25 mi
  Some 24,000 images pecked into the dark basalt of Albuquerque's West Mesa, protected in 1990 and then crossed by a city boulevard.
• Bandelier National Monument — 32 mi
  Rooms carved into soft volcanic tuff in Frijoles Canyon, named for a Swiss scholar who was led there in 1880 by a man from Cochiti Pueblo.

More markers nearby

• Pueblo of Zía — steps away
• Vásquez de Coronado's Route — 2.5 mi
• Colorado Plateau — 6.0 mi
• Pueblo of Santa Ana — 7.4 mi