Guaitil Pottery

The Traditional Process of Chorotega Pottery

The archeological term "Chorotega" is used to refer to a society that emigrated from Mexico to northern Costa Rica after 800 B.C., and which elaborated local art with Mesoamerican symbolism. The contemporary Chorotega ceramics have evolved over the past decades as individual artisans are beginning to integrate their individual talents and ideas with the traditional styles of their ancestors. The term "Chorotega Revival" describes the evolution of this art form which combines the past with the present, while preserving the organic and indigenous nature of this art.

For over 800 years, the Chortega Indians and their descendants, the residents of the town of Guaitil (located 12 km from Santa Cruz), have been making beautiful works of art out of clay and raw materials extracted from the mountains surrounding the small town. This style of pottery making is commonly known as Guaitil Pottery.

The process by which Guaitil Pottery is produced is 100% organic. All materials used to create the clay are found in Guaitil, the neighboring pueblo of San Vicente and the hills that surround this region. Fine sand, called Iguana Sand, is combined with clay-like, dense soil, named barro, and then mixed with water (by foot, similar to how grapes are pressed to make wine) to create the dark brown clay used to make the pottery. The barro must be collected at the end of the lunar cycle, otherwise the density and strength of the clay is compromised and many of the pieces will not survive the firing process. The earth colored pigments used to decorate the pottery are made from colored rocks, ground into a fine powder and then mixed with water. 

All of the pottery is made using the coil building technique (one tier at a time) and 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. Once the piece is completely shaped, it must dry approximately 24 hours and then the polishing process begins. Hand polishing is done with small pieces of smooth plastic or stone. All small imperfections are slowly and carefully worked out to create a smooth appearance. The more the piece is polished, the smoother and shinier the piece will be after firing. After the polishing is completed, four coats of off-white paint are applied and the decorating, painting and etching is done. The entire piece is created pre-firing; therefore an elaborate piece requiring up to 15 hours of creative energy may not withstand the firing process and the piece is lost.

When the piece is completely done, it is fired in a wood burning kiln made of black earth, bricks and dried horse manure. There are no thermometers on the ovens and the temperature is maintained by the type of wood used to fire the pieces. Wood from the Guasimo, Nancite, and the Quebracho trees burn at approximately 700° and the potter is able to monitor the temperature by the heat that is felt on his or her skin.

This traditional way of creating pottery has been handed down from generation to generation using the same traditional and ancestral techniques of the Chorotega indigenous groups.


Located in the Circle next to Chillerz Bar & Grille.

Tel: (506) 2653-2005 - Email:
TamarindoPottery@gmail.com