What was the 'San Ildefonso Dodge' and how did the whole community benefit?

Answer: It was a car, a Dodge Sedan

Explanation: the San Ildefonso Dodge was a Dodge Sedan bought by a couple of Pueblo artists, Maria and her husband. The couple had discovered a new way of making pottery which became so popular and highly sought after that they taught it to the potters of San Ildefonso.

When they bought their first car, they painted it with Indian designs. Being the first car in the locality, it was used by everybody, sometimes used to transport the sick or to take food to neighbors. It became known as the San Ildefonso Dodge.