Photography is My Guaitil Pleasure

COSTA RICA | Sunday, 13 January 2013 | Views [436] | View Smaller Image

Here, you can see wet barro being painted on with a brush, to prevent the clay drying out. All of the pottery is made using the coil building technique (one tier at a time) on a completely manual hand heel. The speed of the wheel is kept by the potter's free hand; no electricity or foot pedal is used.

Guaitil is a little village in Guanacaste, Costa Rica that still preserves the tradition of making pre-Columbian Chorotega pottery. All the pottery is made completely by hand, using local clays and the same tools and techniques of their indigenous ancestors. Fine sand, called Iguana Sand, is combined with clay-like, dense soil, named barro to give the pottery its special texture and colour.

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The level of dedication, concentration and skill from the young boy is impressive. However, the local clay slowly running out and the influx of cheap pottery imitations, means this way of life is threatened by modern times. It quickly becomes evident how important it is to support such traditional ways of living – you are not just helping to preserve the old, but also serving to encourage the young not to abandon their village and its ways, but to stay true to their roots and continue with the traditions of their ancestors.

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Photography is My Guaitil Pleasure

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