Lydia Quezada Talavera is Juan's youngest sister, the baby of the family. She was one of Juan's first and most talented students. Lydia originally concentrated on making effigies and monos, the animal and human figures that are part of the Paquimé legacy. Her early figures, most of them snails and macaws, were rapidly created and quickly sold as part of the flurry of interest in regional pottery brought about by the archaeological exploration of Paquimé. Later, like her brother Juan, Lydia received a stipend from Spencer MacCallum. Feeling more financially secure with a stipend, Lydia was able to "concentrate on quality rather than quantity," she says. "I began making more pots and fewer effigies. I had the time to experiment and improve my work. The stipend changed everything, all the aspects of my work and my life." Indeed, Lydia's life changed completely at that time, not only as an artist, but in a more personal way as well.