An elderly Native American woman of the Sonoran desert peoples shown grinding mesquite pods, standing behind a hollowed log mortar and driving a tall wooden pestle down into it with both hands. She wears a long blue traditional dress with a shawl and a headwrap, her weathered face intent on the work.

The upright mortar-and-pestle, layered clothing, and stooped, purposeful stance capture a scene of traditional food preparation. The wood grain of the mortar, the flowing dress, and the pestle are cleanly modeled for painting.

A culturally rich figure for a Southwestern village, pueblo, or desert-homestead diorama, and an evocative historical character for a frontier or trading-post scene on a model layout.