Denise Chavarria Pueblo Pottery Mug

This unique cafe-style ceramic mug is a replica of a single beautiful clay pot handcrafted by Denise Chavarria of Santa Clara Pueblo.

Chavarria has incorporated very detailed and beautiful carving and burnishing on a traditional red vase. She has carved out a beautiful depiction of the Avanyu, a water serpent that the Pueblo people consider to be the guardian of water. Depicted as a horned serpent with lightning emerging from its mouth, the Avanyu is believed to live in the Rio Grande and its tributaries. The creature's body typically looks like a rippling stream, and the lightning coming from its mouth signifies thunderstorms that bring rain.

A common design in the pottery of Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos, the Avanyu represents the importance of water for the Pueblo people.