Los Pueblos Blancos

Lucrecia and Elliot at the Catarina lookout

Gloria's brother had to work - but they found us another driver, and Lucrecia came with us on our tour of the Pueblos Blancos. The driver was unusually taciturn, but the moto-taxi ride was fun, and probably the coolest part of our tour was getting to visit the home/studio of Marcial the potter. Lucrecia had met him through her church work, and she made the driver stop at his house because she knew we were interested in pottery. Marcial showed us how he collects clay, filters it, kneads it with his feet (we got to help), then throws it on the wheel. He also showed us the wood-fired kiln where he fires the pots once they're finished and painted.

Elliot takes over from Marcial

 

Elliot, to my dismay, was starting to melt down at this point, but he did at least seem to enjoy it when Marcial put him up on the wheel and let him try his hand at making a pot. (All Elliot managed to make was a small mountain of clay that resembled the devils tower from Close Encounters - but I think he now at least has a better appreciation for the skill it takes to make a piece of ceramic pottery!) What was most remarkable to me was how much joy Marcial seemed to get from his work. For him, pottery is an act of religious faith, a way to feel connected to God. (Even though Marcial is Catholic and not Evangelical, Lucrecia was particularly admiring of this quality.)

Elliot, driver, and Marcial

Marcial and his wife

Marcial learned to make pottery - using the traditional indigenous methods - as part of a state-funded program in the late-70s in San Juan del Oriente, which helped to revive the tradition and the town's reputation as a center for handicrafts. Marcial and his family make 50 pieces every 2 weeks, which they sell to dealers who sell them in the markets. It wasn't clear they had any other form of income; their home had a tin roof and only a dirt floor. There was no way I was going to leave after he'd spent so much time with us, without buying one of his lovely pieces - each of which cost $5. (I later saw similar pieces for sale in a Granada gift shop for $15). I ended up buying a small, beautiful vase with a turtle on it.

View from the moto-taxi (side-of-the-road laundry)

Elliot in the moto-taxi drivers seat

Our driver then took us to a place to eat in Catarina that served very tasty food, and drinks made with ice supposedly made with bottled water. But a visit to their bathroom (located behind the kitchen) would have made even the most seasoned health inspector blanche: there was a dirt floor, a toilet with no door, no water in the toilet tank (and, alarmingly, a cement on-the-floor seat located adjacent to the toilet), and at least one dog and one cat keeping the cooks company. Yet lunch for three of us cost just over $20(US). The moto taxi tour (about 4 hours) cost $11 -while  gas here costs almost $6/gallon. Marcial and his family make about $100/week. After two weeks here, I still cannot wrap my brain around this economy.