Tobati

Tobatí lies below a line of sandstone cliffs and outcrops in the Cordillera, and the clay from the surrounding ground has made it a pottery town: everyday ware and, more distinctively, figurative ceramic, painted figures of people, animals and nativity scenes made by families who have worked the tradition across generations, of which the Rodriguez workshops are the best known. Woodcarving is the other trade, with saints and figures cut in local timber. Workshops through the town can be visited and pieces bought at source. The cliffs behind, quarried in places for sandstone, are climbed for views and the Cerro Tobati carries a viewpoint. The town is small and workaday.

History

Domingo Martínez de Irala founded Tobatí in June 1539. Explanations of the name differ: one reads it as the Guarani tova, "face", with tí, "nose", while another links it to a legend of a white-faced priest; Pedro Juan Caballero, a leader of Paraguay's independence, came from Aparypy in Tobatí (Wikipedia, Tobatí).

What to look for

• Figurative ceramics - the painted clay figures the town is known for.
• Woodcarving - the saints and figures cut in local timber.
• The workshops - the family potteries and carving sheds.
• The sandstone cliffs - the outcrops behind the town.

When to go

April to October in the cooler months for the walking and the workshops; weekdays are when families are working. The run-up to Christmas is the busiest period for nativity figures.

What to expect

Workshop visits are informal and depend on who is working. Selling pressure is present. Quarrying has damaged parts of the cliffs. The town has limited facilities and half a day covers it.

Nearby

Caacupe lies south; Atyra is west.