1/10/14 Masaya, Pottery, and the Market

Today started with work at Nitlapan for a half day.  We learned more of Nitlapan’s issues, and continued research into database systems that may be useful for the company.

After our meeting and a quick lunch, we headed out to the active volcano Masaya.  Before making our way to the top, we went in a museum for the national park.  

When you walked in, there was a topographic map that showed Nicaragua’s main volcano

This picture is the first known drawing of the volcano by a European, drawn by the historian, Fernandez de Oviedo. It was known as the mouth of fire that never ceases to boil.  At the top of the mountain a cross was placed by Friar Francisco de Bobadilla, who believed this was the entrance to hell.

The mouth of fire that never ceases to boil

The volcano was experiencing a lot of activity at the moment, so we could not climb all the way up, but we were able to see a decent amount of the crater, despite the large amounts of smoke.

You can still see the cross at the top

From the top of the volcano we had a fantastic view of the countryside

And some of us took the time to ride horses, while others of us enjoyed some fresh coconut water

After Masaya, we met up with a local potter who gave us a demonstration of his work

He uses a technique that has been passed on through his family for generations.  He feels that it is important for his heritage that he carries on the tradition, and he uses local clay that he gathers; each type of clay is used for a different purpose.  He is pictured here using a potter’s wheel, and shaping a small pot.

In this piece he made a turtle from the inside of the pot.  He explained that he likes to include animals in his pieces as part of his style

One of his completed pots

After we had finished visiting the potter, we made our way to a local market where people sold all kinds of goods from clothes and trinkets to hammocks and pictures.