I had the pleasure of meeting several local artisans at a Fair-Trade event hosted by the Chol-Chol Foundation in Temuco a few months ago. One ceramicist, Sandra San Martín, who specializes in creating replications of ancient Mapuche ceramics from museums throughout Chile (Alfarería de Origen Arqueológico Mapuche), even invited me to visit her workshop in Gorbea. Similar to Labranza, Gorbea is a small town about 30 minutes outside of Temuco.
When I got to Sandra's workshop, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that her family home is also the city's cultural center. Her father, Sergio, has written also several books on Mapuche culture and accumulated quite a collection of artifacts on display- their rooms are filled with hundreds of pieces of traditional craftwork, or artesanía.
The workshop's official website is: http://www.ceramicamapuche.cl/
El Taller, The Workshop
In the picture above, the yellow piece was formed by hand, whereas the black piece was casted in a mold. Although the San Martín's started off by crafting all of their pieces by hand, they eventually changed strategies and switched to casting pieces. This allows them to better achieve their mission of creating precise replicas of artifacts and also saves them a significant amount of time and energy. Currently, many of their products are sold in museums nation-wide and abroad.Molds
Pipes
The variety and intricacy of the pipes pictured below, reflects the important role they played in Mapuche culture- the ones with 2 openings, for example, were believed to be part of a ceremonial ritual where two parties would symbolically smoke together when making a pact.
More Replications
Some other pieces of craftwork around their workshop...
Leather Shoe
Udder Basket???
Wooden Wheel
I'd estimate the diameter to be at least 8" thick!
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