Historical Marker

Tesuque Rain Gods

Historical marker location:
US 84/285, Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico
( on frontage road at Camel Rock rest area)

Seated clay figurines known as rain gods or “rain catchers” spring from Tesuque Pueblo’s deep-rooted figurative pottery tradition. Popularized in the 1880s, Tesuque women made and sold the figurines in a variety of colors and designs, and earned income by selling them to curio dealers and tourists. Rain gods typically hold pots while other gods hold children, animals and other objects. The tradition is practiced to this day.