Awa Tsireh
Awa Tsireh: A Pioneer of San Ildefonso Painting Born in 1898 into the heart of the San Ildefonso Pueblo, Awa Tsireh (also known as Alfonso Roybal and Cattail Bird) emerged as one of the most significant figures in Southwestern Native American art. His journey was not one of formal academic training—he left school after grade school—but rather a deeply rooted apprenticeship within his culture, honed through observation, familial tradition, and the guidance of influential mentors. This self-taught approach, combined with a keen eye for detail and a profound connection to Pueblo cosmology, sh…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of Awa Tsireh's corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.
