Guaitil and San Vicente; preserving the Chorotega pottery heritage.

Guaitil and San Vicente are charming quiet Chorotega villages located in the province of Guanacaste, only 30 kms from the city of Nicoya.

The Chorotega are an indigenous group located in the southern part of Mesoamérica and are one of the main indigenous cultures in Costa Rica.

The entire Chorotega region of Guaitil and San Vicente is dedicated to keeping alive the art of transforming clay into beautiful ceramic artwork in traditional pre-Columbian Chorotega style.

As part of Mesoamerican society, Guaitil and San Vicente contain elements and cultural aspects of ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations.

The Chorotega pottery and artwork is engraved with a stamp of authenticity which is their guarantee of quality  known as the Denomination of Origin.

Originally the pottery was designed to satisfy daily life needs of the inhabitants, creating vessels, skillets, mugs, bowls and different kinds of pots for cooking.

Musical instruments, decorative anthropomorphic figures and incense burners were also created.

Chorotega pottery has been found at burial sites, indicating use in religious rituals and funeral offerings.

In order to prepare the raw material for pottery, the clay has to be dried and pulverized in a wooden mortar.  Then it is mixed with water and river sand (referred to by locals as “Iguana sand” due to the tendency of Iguanas to lay eggs in the sand).

The artisans use precise measurements in order to guarantee high quality and plasticity to the work; otherwise pieces might break during the firing process.

Using different techniques and simple instruments the craftsmen shape the clay into unique pieces, displaying their masterful abilities and dedication in making pottery.

Each piece must air-dry until the clay hardens.  It is then hand-polished for a smooth finish, taking out any imperfections resulting in a nice shine.

Polishing is repeated different times during the process with a “Sukia stone”.  Sukia stones consist of quartz, which some craftsmen have found in burial sites making them unique, special and limited.

Once the piece is polished it is given a first layer of white curiol “paint” (powdered natural mineral stone) as a base.

One of the unique features of Chorotega pottery is the traditional use of oxides present in the soil used to paint the pottery.

The curiol is soil that contains a high amount of oxides.  Each color is related to a specific oxide:

• Zinc Oxide: provides a white color.
• Iron Oxide: provides a red color.
• Manganese Oxide: provides a black color.

Once the curiol is extracted from the local area, it has to be separated into the different colors and is then pulverized.

In order to use it as paint the curiol is mixed with water.

Craftsmen also combine the different base colors to obtain different tones and shades.

The Chorotega were an ancient civilization before the arrival of the Spanish.

Common elements have been identified in all Mesoamerican arts.

Abstract and geometrical symbols are used to represent a universal balance and duality.

Elements from ancient civilizations such as the Stepped Fret, the Feathered Serpent and the Jaguar are present in Chorotega pottery.

Ceramic artifacts can also be decorated with images from nature such as monkeys, iguanas, hummingbirds, toucans and flowers.