Page 13 - SOUTH GUANACASTE TOURIST GUIDE

Traditional Crafts
The traditional techniques practiced in the cantons of Santa Cruz and Nicoya include Chorotega ceramics, practiced in Guaitil de Santa Cruz and San Vicente de Nicoya by the Chorotega indigenous people. The figures are made from pure clay using traditional techniques passed down through the generations. There are also jícaro handicrafts, using a carving technique called “esgrafiado”, and leatherworking, with the production of hats, saddles and traditional clothes.
Ecomuseum of Chorotega Ceramics San Vicente, Nicoya
In order to preserve the history, designs and techniques of this pottery style, the Ecomuseum of Chorotega Ceramics of Nicoya inaugurated its permanent exhibition in 2017. This new room is the result of several years of research into oral history, design and museum installation, all carried out by the community itself with the support and advice of the Regional Museum Program of the National Museum of Costa Rica (MNCR) and the Network of Community Museums of America.
Eco museo San Vicente de Nicoya Artesanía en jícaras
Take a little bit of the color and beauty of Santa Cruz and Nicoya back home with you!
Colectivo artesanal La Choreja
The catalog below contains a wealth of quality handicrafts from local artisans at excellent prices.
See catalog here
Other Handicrafts
The cantons of Santa Cruz, Nicoya, Hojancha and Nandayure share elements of their culture such as traditional foods, hand-pressed tortillas, marimba music, and the intangible heritage of the Chorotega region. Pottery is one component of this cultural heritage, an ancient tradition that is carried out in Guaitil, San Vicente and Las Pozas de Nicoya, as well as San Pablo de Nandayure, where families have used red clay in their crafts, making domestic utensils such as nimbueras, comales, jars, and more. However, this clay does not work for objects made with curioles, because pigments do not stick to them (as in Guaitil and San
SANTA CRUZ Y NICOYA
Cultural Agenda • Handicrafts
LA CHOREJA HANDICRAFT COLLECTIVE
The Colectivo Artesanal La
Choreja is an organization of
local artisans, whose name
comes from the fruit of the
monkey-ear tree, also called the
guanacaste tree (Enterolobium
cyclocarpum). In the Nahuatl
language its name is Guautil
Nacaztli. With wide, imposing
branches, it provides ample shade, and has given its name to the province of Guanacaste, home to a vibrant and rich cultural tradition. It has also been declared Costa Rica’s national tree.
Handicrafts made from its seeds are inspired by the rich culture of the Guanacaste plains, with their flora, fauna, beaches, gastronomy and sabanero tradition.
The La Choreja Collective was formed in 2019 through an assistance program of the Costa Rican Tourism Board as part of the Artesanías con Identidad Program of the Department of Tourism Development of the Directorate of Planning and Tourism Development. Its creation was
part of a strategy aiming to ensure
that tourists can enjoy the travel
experience and take a unique
product back with them, one that
has been forged by the hands of Guanacaste’s local artisans, giving them a piece of the soul of this wonderful place.
Vicente). An example of this is Crafts Building a Legacy by the family of Claudia Rosales Perez, who have taken this legacy to the new generations such as her daughter Zeneida Trejos Rosales and other people through workshops and fairs. This tradition reveals part of the history of our province and the country. It is the identity of our canton.
CONTACT PEOPLE: Priscila Álvarez - Tel: 8404-3700 / Jeimy Álvarez - Tel: 8795-1092 . 13 Facebook:facebook.com/Artesanías-Contruyendo-un-Legado
Your purchase helps
to support our small business and to preserve the local identity and culture.