Idea #411 – Meeting the potters of San Juan de Oriente in Nicaragua
From the pre-columbian period, pottery had occupied an important place in the Nicaraguan culture. During generations, only the women had manufactured pottery, made by modelling and assemblying by coils. With the appearance of the tour, this art also became a male occupation. For the last 30 years, the art of the pottery has known a revival in the city of San Juan of Oriente, in Nicaragua, a village of los Pueblos Blancos, near the city of Masaya. Near the three-quarters of the population of San Juan of Oriente are so constituted by craftsmen potters. The main street is lined with stores which sell on the spot a part of the production. With a high dexterity, these craftsmen master all the stages of production : shape creation, filling, painting, engraving and cooking. Cooked at low temperature, the black and brilliant pottery, a local speciality, has a destination more ornamental than functional. Although the potters use more modern techniques today than 500 years ago, they continue to make every piece in the hand by using a big variety of colors and traditional motives. A lot of potters of San Juan of Oriente have managed to be get a worldwide reputation.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
San Juan de Oriente, Masaya, Nicaragua
