Tonita Peña
Tonita Peña was a notable Pueblo artist whose work emerged in the early 20th century, shaped by her experiences and cultural heritage. Born in the late 1800s, she was encouraged to express herself artistically from a young age, with her education supported by individuals like her teacher Esther B. Hoyt and archaeologist Edgar Hewett. After moving to Cochiti Pueblo to live with her aunt, Peña faced significant challenges, including arranged marriages and the responsibilities of motherhood, which she balanced alongside her artistic pursuits.
Her artwork often depicted scenes of pueblo life, including women's work and traditional dances, utilizing various mediums such as watercolors and oils. Peña not only painted but also contributed to her community by teaching pottery at local Indian schools and collaborating on murals through the Works Progress Administration. Her influence extended to her children, particularly Joe H. Herrera and Pablita Velarde, who acknowledged her impact on their artistic careers. Despite the challenges she faced, including losing all her possessions upon her death, Tonita Peña remains a significant figure in the world of Native American art, reflecting the resilience and creativity of her culture.
Tonita Peña
- Born: June 10, 1893
- Birthplace: San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico
- Died: September 1, 1949
- Place of death: Cochiti Pueblo?, New Mexico
Category: Painter
Tribal affiliation: San Ildefonso, Cochiti
Significance: The influential Peña painted scenes of Native American dances and women’s work
At San Ildefonso Day School, between 1899 and 1905, Tonita Peña was encouraged by teacher Esther B. Hoyt to use crayons to depict dances. Later, archaeologist Edgar Hewett kept her supplied with good paper and watercolors and was her patron until his death. In 1905 Tonita was moved to Cochiti Pueblo to be reared by her aunt. While she was attending Saint Catherine’s Indian School in Santa Fe, the elders of Cochiti arranged her marriage at age fourteen. Two years and two children later, her husband died. Peña returned to St. Catherine’s after a second arranged marriage (to Felipe Herrera, by whom she had another child, Joe H. Herrera) and she resumed painting. After the death of her second husband, she married a third time, in 1922, and bore five children. In addition to mothering, housekeeping, cooking, dancing, farming, tending one hundred fowl, hogs, and a flower garden in the pueblo, she painted by kerosene lamp. She taught pottery at local Indian schools and collaborated on murals for the Works Progress Administration. She painted scenes of women’s work and pueblo dances on paper, wood, masonite, and canvas, using watercolors, casein, pen and colored ink, and oils. Painters Joe H. Herrera (her son) and Pablita Velarde cite her influence on their careers. Upon her death, all of her possessions, including paintings, were burned.
