In traditional Pueblo wedding ceremonies, the bride and then the groom drink from a two-spouted wedding jar without spilling a drop. Success ensures a cooperative marriage. This pot is carved with an image of the serpent Avanyu, a spirit featured in Pueblo oral histories who guards precious water in the arid Santa Clara landscape. The wedding jar form dates back several centuries. In the 1950s, Margaret Tafoya started making wedding vases using the traditional coil technique, a slow and difficult process given the large size of the works. The artist fired the vase with pine slabs and horse manure to achieve its black finish. After firing, Tafoya used stones to painstakingly polish the vessel to a glossy shine.