Vertigo

Stories of resistance and resilience come to life in Virgil Ortiz’s Monos figures from the Cochiti Pueblo.

"Staying within the tight boundaries of traditionally made Cochiti pottery, I revive the Cochiti figure, the Monos. Hard work, social criticism, humor, and innovation are the basic ingredients of my pieces. Using techniques, materials, and designs handed down to me by my mother, Seferina Ortiz, I create the Cochiti Monos. I continue where my people were forced to stop. The Cochiti Monos is reborn. " VIRGIL ORTIZ Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Chapter 6, “Vertigo,” in Virgil Ortiz: reVOlution by Charles S. King (forthcoming August 2021, Museum of New Mexico Press).