﻿ix. d, 2 Christie: Pottery Industry in San Nicolas H9 



bran. The bran is imperfectly consumed, and leaves a black 

 deposit on the clay. 



Undoubtedly the principal clay product manufactured in San 

 Nicolas is cooking pots. Thousands of them are made every 

 year. The clay is dug from open pits on the outskirts of the town, 

 dried, beaten into dust, and sifted. It is then moistened and 

 kneaded. Some sand from the river is mixed with the clay 

 to prevent cracking. Then the woman shapes the mixture into 

 the form of a short thick cylinder and lays it on a round 

 board. This board is laid on another board, but it is not 

 connected with it by a bearing pin. From time to time she 

 gives the upper board a turn with one hand while she works 

 the clay with the other. Thus she gets some of the effect 

 of a wheel. She has a dish of water at hand, and frequently" 

 dips her fingers and her tools into it to prevent sticking. At 

 first she uses only her fingers to shape the vessel ; later she uses 

 a smooth stone which she holds against the inner surface of 

 the vessel with her left hand while working on the outside with 

 a paddle in her other hand. Her tools consist of a stone, a 

 shell, and paddles of various shapes and sizes. With the paddles 

 she beats the outside of the vessel, causing it to spread. When 

 the vessel is fairly well shaped, she lays it aside for a time 

 to set and partially to dry. After this, she starts working 

 with it again, giving the last touches. When the vessel is 

 completely formed, she smooths the outside with a shell. Then 

 she may give it a few strokes with an incised paddle to impress 

 on it a simple pattern. It is common for the worker to smear 

 the outside of the vessel with red earth mixed with water, in 

 order to give it a uniform red color. If she does not do 

 this, the clay, which is grayish brown before being fired, turns 

 a poor and irregular red color on being burned. As in the 

 case of pipes, it is often desired to give the pot a black color. 

 This effect is secured in the same way as with pipes. 



A few hearths or stoves and bowls of various sizes and 

 shapes are also made. The bowls are made in the same way 

 as the cooking pots. The hearths or stoves are built up in 

 layers in the open air, and are then covered with straw and 

 other combustibles and burned. 



Pottery making in San Nicolas is strictly a household industry. 

 To a large extent it takes the place in the family economic 

 system which weaving by hand occupies in most other towns 

 of the province. A woman working steadily at making pottery 

 may earn from 25 to 30 centavos (12.5 to 15 cents United 



