An excursion to Las Casa del Alfarero
On our last full day in Trinidad we wandered the streets before breakfast and then the group explored a pottery studio. There was another large factory across the street that we did not go into. That factory used to belong to the Santander family but was taken over by the government. Once this happened the standard of pottery declined. I read that the elderly Sr Santander still lives opposite the factory but now devotes his time to breeding birds and has 400 or so birds in his house and yard which are exported around the world by the government. The family has been allowed to set up their own factory again and each family member has his own workshop.
Before breakfast we wandered around the streets. We still saw some old cars in Trinidad although not as many as we had seen in Havana.
Like most places in Cuba, there were a lot of bars on the windows. |
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We met a shop keeper inside his store and Richard asked him if we could move a chair outside of his shop just slightly in order to photograph it against a better background. This guy did not quite understand- he thought we wanted him to come outside and pose for us which he did. He was such a nice man and made a great model. |
Here is the chair that we finally did move and photograph.
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These little girls seemed to be really good friends. One of them came from across the street to play so I asked them if I could get a photo of both of them together. |
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We just wandered in the streets enjoying the bustle and the early morning activity. Most of the time we would ask if it was ok to take someone's picture and most people seemed ok with it.
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McDonald's equivalent in Cuba? |
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Trinidad has an important tradition of pottery. The Santander family has continued the family tradition of pottery for years and years in this town. In 1892 a Spanish immigrant taught a young man, Modesto Santander the art of pottery. Modesto Santander created his own workshop, a small facility named The Potter which supplied bricks, lime and other building materials. Modesto's son Rogelio was the one that made a great workshop and prosperous family business. Eventually Rogelio made a more varied production including vases, jars, water filters, pots and jugs which were all in demand in Trinidad. From one generation to the next the secrets of working with clay on the wheel was passed down. In 1963 the family was forced to surrender "The Potter" to the Cuban state however, the family business did not stop. Today there are about eighty artisans distributed in five new workshops located in Trinidad. |
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We wandered all around the shop admiring the potters at work and their beautiful works of art. The visit had been planned so that the potters knew we were there to photograph as well as observe and shop.
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Everyone had a great visit and enjoyed watching the masters at work.
An interesting old sink in the shop.
At the end of the visit I photographed some of the patio furniture. Liban and I had fun moving around the furniture and creating some different designs.
