More information provided by NAU American Southwest Virtual Museum:

Black Mesa Black-on-white is [a] type of Tusayan White Ware that is found regularly across the greater part of northeastern Arizona.

Archaeological Culture: Ancestral Puebloan, Kayenta

Date Range: Kayenta Heartland: A.D. 900-1160 (Christenson 1994), Flagstaff Region: A.D. 1025-1140 (per Christian Downum, Northern Arizona University).

Construction: By coiling.

Firing: In a reducing atmosphere.

Core Color: Dark gray to light gray.

Carbon Streak: Common.

Temper: Fairly abundant quartz sand; sometimes conspicuous on undecorated surfaces.

Surface Finish: Interior surface bowls and exterior surface jars are polished and somewhat bumpy.

Surface Color: White, sometimes with a bluish tint.

Forms: Bowls, dippers (rare), jars, and jugs.

Vessel Thickness: Bowls: 3 to 6 mm; jars: 3 to 7.3 mm.

Decoration: 

• Paint: Dull black, usually fairly dense, occasionally slightly watery, with slight brownish tint.


• Pigments: Carbon.


• Design: Bowl interiors and jar exteriors only; bowl bottoms undecorated; jar bottoms undecorated; rims unpainted; stripes and wide straight horizontal lines, rarely curved lines, large solid triangles, isosceles and elongated; triangles sometimes in opposed series forming rows of open diamonds; stepped elements rare, solid squares rare, solid areas with large pendent dots; interlocking scrolls. Average width of lines about 7.1 mm.

Comparisons: Sosi Black-on white treatment is bolder and execution more precise; elements more closely massed; pendant dots absent; triangles either isolated or contiguous, infrequent. Puerco Black-on-white and Red Mesa Black-on-white have mineral paint.

Other Names: Black-on-white ware; 2nd ware ; Black Mesa Pueblo II; Deadmans Black-on-white.

Oppelt (2007:79): Black Mesa Black-on-white (AD 1058-1140) (synonym Deadmans Black-on-white) Bowl interiors and jar exteriors are polished and sometimes bumpy. The white surface color may have a bluish tint. The black paint in the designs is carbon. The designs are on bowl interiors and jar exteriors only. Bowl bottoms and jar bases are unpainted. Stripes and wide horizontal lines are common. Large solid triangles sometimes in opposing series form rows of negative diamonds. Solid areas with large pendent dots are frequent, as are interlocking scrolls. The forms of this type are bowls, jars, seed jars and pitchers. Commonly found over northeastern Arizona.