Pottery-making requires access to clay and temper sources, water, and fuel for firing. Some ancient potters excelled in working the clay. Others mastered design and firing techniques. Throughout the history of the region, potters created objects from clay that were both useful and pleasing to the eye.

The social development of the potters is closely tied to pottery making. As they honed their skills, learned to create useful objects, and worked together to produce them, they also built more complex societies. Archaeologists today know these people as the Hohokam, Mogollon, and ancestral Pueblos.