{"id":11869,"date":"2013-11-15T11:59:21","date_gmt":"2013-11-15T16:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=11869"},"modified":"2016-03-31T16:23:30","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T21:23:30","slug":"antioquia-week-colombian-handicrafts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2013\/11\/antioquia-week-colombian-handicrafts\/","title":{"rendered":"Antioquia Week: Colombian Handicrafts"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think about Colombian handicrafts, what is the first picture that comes to mind? Colourful bracelets and bags? The sombrero volteao<\/strong>? Coconut crafts from Choc\u00f3 or traditional wayuu<\/i> knitted products in La Guajira? Emeralds in Bogot\u00e1 or gold from Mompox?<\/strong> Basketry or the classic ruana<\/i> from Boyac\u00e1? Or maybe mini figurines, much like our very own \u2018chiva viajera\u2019? Well, the point I\u2019m trying to make is that handicrafts in Colombia are so varied<\/strong> that it is impossible to pin down what defines typical Colombian artisanal goods.<\/p>\n

Each region has its own specialty and this specialisation leads to a much higher quality of crafts<\/strong>. It\u2019s not only every region, but within every region you will find numerous towns or even villages that are the country\u2019s centre for something odd<\/strong> (much like Cucunuba and the Greek yogurt trade<\/a>). Antioquia is no different and there are a number of towns that lay claim to being \u2018Colombia\u2019s number one producer of\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Flower<\/a>
One of the much more simple designs, partly created by our very own Gilesy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We already touched upon Santa Elena\u2019s importance as the home of Medellin\u2019s silleteros<\/i>, where the flower arrangements for the city\u2019s Feria de Las Flores<\/a> are created. Perhaps growing flowers can\u2019t be considered under handicrafts, but the intricate and painstaking design process<\/strong> surely can. The displays can weigh up to 120kg and they use anywhere between 70 and 100 varieties of flowers to make complex, stunning designs. One display can sometimes take a month to complete<\/strong>, with entire families working flat out.<\/p>\n

\"Guitar<\/a>
Different stages of completion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Marinilla, there is a family-run guitar factory that has been in existence since 1860<\/strong>. We met the third, fourth and fifth generations of the family who explained the complicated and fascinating process they use to make acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars. The majority of the work is done by hand, with\u00a0some of the more detailed instruments taking two months to make<\/strong>. Such is the reputation of this small, traditional workshop that Juanes<\/strong> has been in person to buy guitars. Now if that\u2019s not a claim to fame, I don\u2019t know what is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Marinilla\"<\/a>
Alberto Soto (in green) explains the processes used to Azzam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also in Marinilla is a religious art workshop, which my trusty sidekick Gilesy briefly touched upon yesterday<\/a>. The sculptor, Alberto Soto, has dedicated himself to creating a huge variety of religious figurines<\/strong>, following traditional techniques in his tiny family-run factory. Some of his larger nativity scenes (all done to scale) are even used in shopping malls as part of Colombia\u2019s wonderfully kitsch and over-the-top lead-up to Christmas<\/strong>. Alberto has refused to relocate his business, despite the need for a larger space, as he is determined to help improve a neighbourhood of Marinilla<\/strong> that has not yet received the same amount of investment and\u00a0development as the rest. Yet another example of the incredible strength of paisa local pride.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Plates!<\/a>
Plates! I told you I wasn’t lying.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps the icing on our Antioquia-handicrafts-cake<\/strong> was the small town of El Carmen de Viboral. While Raquira or Caldas can equally lay claim to being the birthplace of the ceramics industry in Colombia, Carmen\u00a0 has undoubtedly been the focal point of this industry for over a century. The town is home to the Festival de la Loza<\/strong> (yes, as we have come to know, Colombians will celebrate anything, even crockery), but its most distinctive feature is \u2018Ceramics Street\u2019. A new addition to the town, this 2005 project, supposedly based on Gaudi\u2019s Parc Guell in Barcelona, <\/strong>adds a delightfully unique touch to what might otherwise be another small Colombian town<\/a>. Each of the facades on this street is decorated with plates, yes plates, in over 20 different traditional designs. As the locals will be all too keen to tell you, a plate with one of these designs was used by Barack Obama<\/strong>. These far from tenuous links to famous folk just keep on coming.<\/p>\n

\"Ceramics<\/a>
Traditional techniques being used to make clay pots<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The town\u2019s Casa de la Cultura, which started off as a convent before being turned into a girls\u2019 school and then the cultural centre, houses the town\u2019s museum of ceramics<\/strong>. Believe me, this is far more interesting than it sounds. It charts the history of the town\u2019s ceramics industry, from the golden era in the first half of the 20th century when there were more than 20 factories, through the\u00a0ceramics crisis of 1970-1997\u00a0<\/strong>when the markets opened and cheap Chinese porcelain arrived, right up until the modern day. Captivated? I thought so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This awesome artwork at the museum consists of separately-fired plates that join forces like Voltron to make the picture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The museum also delves into the crockery-making process, the use of local minerals to create pigmentation and the intricate hand-painting techniques used. To demonstrate this we were first taken to the country\u2019s last remaining traditional pottery factory<\/strong> on the outskirts of the town. Here, three brothers use time-honoured techniques and a classic brick kiln to create basic but beautiful pots.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ceramics,<\/a>
The painstaking task of hand-painting each and every item<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We also got the opportunity to see the more modern side of the ceramics industry in Carmen when we visited a workshop in the town. With many more workers and more up-to-date techniques, we were\u00a0introduced to some truly stunning plates and ceramics<\/strong> (yes, I know I\u2019m getting excited about plates, but why can\u2019t we eat off something pretty?). Each item is painted by hand, some of the more complex ones taking three hours to complete.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Plates!<\/a>
Plates! I told you I wasn’t lying.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With only three days in Antioquia, we were obviously not able to see all of the region’s wonderful and cultural towns, but it was very clear to us that\u00a0handicrafts play an important role in the economy and history<\/strong>\u00a0of many of the smaller, more traditional towns. In keeping with\u00a0Colombia\u2019s strong tradition of placing a great deal of importance on the family<\/strong>, most of\u00a0these businesses are family-owned and run, allowing them to keep their character while at the same time moving forward to keep up with modern demands. Step into almost any town in Antioquia and you will no doubt be greeted by\u00a0a happy local eager to entertain you with details of the local sausage, water pistol, rat poison or cravat industry.<\/strong>\u00a0And you\u2019ll be surprised at how interesting it is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Azzam<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you think about Colombian handicrafts, what is the first picture that comes to mind? Colourful bracelets and bags? The sombrero volteao? Coconut crafts from Choc\u00f3 or traditional wayuu knitted products in La Guajira? Emeralds in Bogot\u00e1 or gold from Mompox? Basketry or the classic ruana from Boyac\u00e1? Or maybe mini figurines, much like our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88891,"featured_media":11871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2061,1422,626,4,66,97,623,12],"tags":[2875,58,2864,2102],"yoast_head":"\nAntioquia Week: Colombian Handicrafts - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2013\/11\/antioquia-week-colombian-handicrafts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Antioquia Week: Colombian Handicrafts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you think about Colombian handicrafts, what is the first picture that comes to mind? 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