Potters, Weavers and Brickmakers

So what do these people have in common - other than the fact that they make stuff? Everyone has to make a living and sometimes that invloves having to make needed and useful products.

When my (april's) parents were visiting we went on a quest to learn as much about the Nicaraguan people as possible. What a blast we had! From bumpy rides, disjointedly translated conversations and talking to random people we came away with a bigger love for Nicaragua.

As mentioned in our newsletter this potter (Felipe and his wife Dina Gutierrez) makes a living off of creating and selling beautiful hand-crafted pottery. This is a family business which means the whole family is involved. The Gutierrez' also employ some young men to do some engraving and painting on the near finished products. In the picture above you see a freshly sculpted vase which he was able to create in about 7 minutes. His foot moves so fast on that wheel!

Care is taken throughout the whole process to be sure that the product they sell is of top quality. When you live in a town where everyone is a potter you must take all measures possible to create pieces that will stand out in quality and creativity to assure steady business.

Out in the open this man was weaving his basket, so we couldn't resist the urge to walk over and talk with him. He was weaving these commonly used baskets out of bamboo and did so with a smile on his face. His children were doing so as well at their house just down the hill. He had much to say about Nicaragua and all its beauty. Every hour he creates one complete basket. Answering all our questions and giving us answers to questions we didn't even ask we said good-bye to him with full hearts.

If you are driving from Managua to Leon on the new highway you will see plenty of brick makers. In this area the dirt is just the right consistency that when mixed with water, dried and baked creates the perfect bricks for homes, small commercial buildings, and any other application that the manufacturers can sell you on. At only 4 cordobas a brick (about 19 cents) these families need to sell as many as possible to support themselves. Apparently these ones hadn't dried quick enough before the chickens hunted for their food!

Each of these artisans play an important role in the makeup of Nicaragua. Everytime we can have these experiences we deepen our understanding of the Nicaraguan culture.