La Arena Pottery

La Arena sits on the edge of Chitré and it has been the pottery district of the Azuero for generations, working the local red clay into water jars, planters, roof tiles and decorative figures, fired in wood kilns in the yards behind the workshops. Some of the forms are colonial and some are older: the region has one of the richest pre-Columbian ceramic traditions in Central America, and the museums in Chitré and Parita hold polychrome vessels from the Gran Coclé cultures that potters here still reference. Workshops line the main road and most will let visitors watch the wheel and the kiln.

What you'll find

• The workshops - lining the road, most open to watch.
• Tinajas - the large water jars the district is known for.
• The wood kilns - fired in the yards behind the shops.
• The pre-Columbian connection - Gran Coclé ceramics in the local museums.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Weekdays are when the workshops are working; firing days vary and are worth asking about. Carnival week shuts everything. It takes about two hours.

Practical notes

It is a working commercial district rather than a heritage site, and much of what is made is garden ware for the domestic market rather than anything a visitor would carry home. The pieces are heavy and fragile. Some workshops now use commercial glazes and moulds, which is fine but is not the traditional process.

Nearby

Chitré is five minutes; Parita and its church are twenty minutes north.