indigenous pottery

Handcrafted of ceramic in the style of ancient Inca aríbalo vases, this decorative vase from Peru is crafted by Rolando and Luis. They hand-paint the exterior with polychromatic geometric motifs characteristic of the traditional techniques.

Traditionally used to drink alcoholic drinks, such as chicha, a type of corn beer, this decorative kero vase from Peru evokes the culture of the ancient Inca. The Huaman Paucar Family craft the simple, trumpeting vase of ceramic, featuring intricate hand-painted geometric designs characteristic of the era.

A condor spreads protective wings over the Holy Family in a Peruvian figurine. The Andean bird is revered in South America and the Inca considered it a guide. Guillermo and Eduardo celebrate Christmas with this charming one-piece ceramic nativity scene. "Both the birth of Jesus and the condor symbolize majesty and love," the artisans confide.

Used for religious rituals and ceremonies, vases like this represented the high watermark of ancient Incan pottery. The Huaman Paucar Family of Peru design the decorative vase, crafting it of ceramic with intricate hand-painted geometric motifs.

An admirable hand painted pendant in copper and black tones hangs from nylon cord in this necklace designed by Peru's Dina. Artisan crafted, the ring-shaped ceramic pendant has a design reminiscent of the geometric motifs found on Incan textiles and pottery. A finishing touch is provided by the copper and black striped bead at the top of the necklace.

What ancient wisdom does this little man have to share? Handcrafted by Chorotega pottery artisan Elpidio Chavarría of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, this ceramic statuette of a seated man with headdress and glasses is the natural sand color of the clay with details painted in dark orange and brown.

Chorotega pottery is completely handmade with traditional techniques passed down through the generations for 3,000 years, and one of the last surviving cultural elements of the Chorotega people indigenous to Costa Rica’s Guanacaste region and Nicoya Peninsula. Chorotega pottery is made from local clay mixed with a very fine freshwater sand. The artisans shape the clay on hand-operated pottery wheels and hand-polish the art piece to give it a smooth texture and luster. Designs are etched by hand and the pieces are painted with natural pigments made from pulverized local colored rocks mixed with water, then fired in traditional wood-burning brick kilns. The result is a beautiful, earthen pottery unique to this region.

The Pipil or Nahua was an indigenous community that migrated from Mexico to El Salvador around 1000 AD and coexisted in some regions with the Mayas. Little is known about the influence they had on each other's cultures, but some ceramic vessels and pitchers with polychrome motifs painted over red or white backgrounds have been found. Oscar Rodolfo Mendoza gets inspiration from these ancient pottery techniques to handcraft a ceramic decorative jar whose lid is crowned with a falcon's head and whose body features glyphs painted with acrylic paints and natural dyes obtained from achiote seeds.

This elegant angle wears green, a color thought to represent hope and new life. Molded and painted by hand, the heavenly messenger features colonial-era style wings and a gown motif of interlocked circles. Believing God set her on this path, artist Arlen Estrada has dedicated herself to creating ceramic pieces that take their inspiration from Nicaragua's past, both colonial and indigenous.

Luis Alberto Gutiérrez pays tribute to his country's pre-Columbian heritage with this striking ceramic sculpture painted with a terracotta color created using pulverized stone. Long-tailed lizards appear to crawl up each of the handmade sculpture's three slender legs, while two rings of dots adorn the base of the vessel's long neck. The tripod's design is influenced by similar ceramic objects crafted by Costa Rica's indigenous peoples many centuries ago. "These are the vessels our ancestors used in funeral rituals, where they deposited the funeral remains together with other ceramic pieces and metals; these pieces carry with them a great deal of history and they comprise many years of antiquity," explains the artisan.