Weekly Photo Challenge: Heritage

I brought a beautifully unassuming little piece of pottery home with me from Costa Rica. I purchased it in a small, local gift shop in downtown La Fortuna. If I had known that I could have visited the town of Guaitil I would have. Don’t know how I would have lugged all of the pottery home with me, but I sure would have tried. So, perhaps it was good that I was unaware of Guaitil and its pottery.

(Note: the italicized text was taken straight from this website. The words are not my own. The photos, however, are mine).

Guaitil is a tiny village in the province of Guanacaste, situated along the old route between Nicoya and Santa Cruz. The small town, which is just 12 kilometers from the city of Santa Cruz, can be accessed by buses that run twice daily and take only 20 minutes.

The town of Guaitil is famous throughout Costa Rica and the rest of Central America because of its pre-Columbian Chorotega style pottery. Local potters use the traditions and techniques of their ancestors to produce ceramics that are used in the village and sold to tourists visiting the region.

The native Chorotegas are one of the main indigenous cultures in Costa Rica, and the entire town of Guaitil is dedicated to the pottery trade, using clay from the area. The secrets of the craft have been passed on through the generations and have created an economic system that can support the people of the village.

The pottery is crafted by first drying the clay and then mashing it until it reaches a powdered form. The powder is then mixed with “iguana sand,” which is a type of fresh water sand in which iguanas typically lay their eggs.

After water is added to the mixture, the pottery is shaped, painted and polished using a “sukia” stone, which helps make the artifact shine. After being left out to dry, the pottery is placed in a firewood oven as the final step in the process.

An amazing heritage. Isn’t it lovely?

Published by LaNae

Welcome to Tales from the Upper Left! I’m an Oregonian by birth, and a Washingtonian (upper left...get it?) by choice. I share my life with a husband named Jonathan and a cat named Colby Jack (he’s orange...like cheese). I dabble in photography (passionate hobbyist), hike when the opportunity arises, drink wine whenever the mood strikes me and travel not often enough. Predictable Washington blog? Nah. I promise! View all posts by LaNae