Ilobasco

Ilobasco has worked clay since the colonial period and the town is full of workshops turning out painted ceramic figures, nativity sets, animals, dishes and decorative ware, sold from shops along the main street and made in the yards behind them. Its speciality is the sorpresa, a small egg-shaped or fruit-shaped ceramic that opens to reveal a tiny modelled scene inside, sometimes a village, a market or a domestic interior, sometimes a bawdy one, made in miniature with great precision. The craft is worked by families and passed down. Workshops can be visited and the process watched, with pieces bought at source rather than at the markup charged in the capital.

History

The Pipil took over the territory at the end of the 15th century, and Ilobasco was organised as a town in 1600, under the name San Miguel de Xilobasco, when its first church was built in the centre. Families of Hispanic origin who settled here made it grow, it became a parish around 1770, and on 18 January 1871 it received the rank of city; its old buildings and its crafts are now among the main local attractions in El Salvador (Wikipedia, Ilobasco).

What you'll find

• Sorpresas - the miniature sealed scenes inside small ceramic shells.
• Painted figures - the nativity sets, animals and decorative ware.
• The workshops - the family yards where the pieces are made and fired.
• The shop street - the main road of ceramic sellers.

When to go

November to April in the dry season. Weekday mornings are when the workshops are working. The run-up to Christmas is the busiest production period for nativity ware.

What to expect

The town itself is ordinary and the craft is the reason to come. Workshop visits are informal and depend on who is working. Selling pressure in the shops is strong. Quality varies considerably between makers.

Nearby

Sensuntepeque lies east; Suchitoto is northwest.