Local culture, local pottery

I asked a few parents for places to visit that were local, indigenous and shared bits and pieces of this country's history with visitors like myself.  All responses pointed to Guaitil, a small village known for its pottery and food. Off I ventured one Sunday to Guaitil, about an hour drive from La Paz Community School.  

First, the drive itself was gorgeous and took my through pastures of cattle grazing and small villages. Second, not only does the village of Guaitil showcase expert potters who inhabit small workshops surround the town square, each potter is eager to offer a tour, a demonstration into how they make Chorotega pottery, where the colors are mined in the nearby mountains, how they are softened with water and then strained and baked in the oven made of Earth and horse manure. 

The finished products are stunning!  Vessels of all shapes and sizes ~ vases, bowls, platters, warming plates, jewelry jars, etc., priced between $15-$100.   One potter shared a piece that was short and squat with a narrow opening. He explained to me that such a vessel was used by people to store valuable possessions and was often buried with the dead.

Be sure to take a trip to Guaitil when you're here and find something special for yourself.  There is also a small museum that houses indigenous collections of this Pre-Columbian pottery.