This is said by people who know about traditions and culinary secrets, who have share their time with industrious artisans working the clay and their love for typical customs and things. This is the only way to understand how in places such as La Chamba and Chipuelo in the Municipality of Guamo, and El Colegio in the Municipality of Flandes (both in the Department of Tolima) you can feel the essence of mother earth while being modeled by the ancient inhabitants of the hot valley of Río Grande of Magdalena, with their dreams and illusions. Since old times, people from this place has made black and ocher-colored clay bowls which they have used as utensils and ornaments at their homes, as gifts for their gods and offerings for their dead. The pottery tradition is part of the cultural memory of these peoples who are descendents of the brave panches and pijaos.

Pottery is the main economic activity in these traditional handicraft centers. It gives work to complete families, and its products reach vast areas of the country; however, few people really know these places.

Visiting these hot Tolima places is discovering a deeply rooted tradition that can be seen today in the manufacture of simple and traditional kilns, and the delicate manufacture of a number of useful implements made of fine clay taken in blocks from the underground layers, where clay bursts out in the middle of extensive crops of rice, sorghum and cotton.

The firing takes place inside clay kilns where the pieces are arranged inside bigger ones, thus obtaining higher temperatures and vitrification which contributes to make them heat-resistant; once the clay pieces reach an intense red color, they are taken out of the kiln and colored as desired, particularly in bright black, which is characteristic of La Chamba bowls.

Kitchen utensils are made, such as kettles and pots, tableware such as dishes, cups, trays, and many other home utensils such as lamps, large vases, flower vases and perfume censers.

Nevertheless, artisans have not limited themselves to these traditional objects, they have transformed their work into a more complex product, as a result of their culinary traditions. This is the case of El Colegio, which directs its production to make pots to be used as recipients for the blancmange (arequipe) prepared in Flandes (the Municipality capital city) and offered to the travelers along the road that goes to Neiva, or from south to Bogota.

Chipuelo, which name comes from the abundance of trees called “chipuelos”, also keeps this handicrafts tradition, but combined with new design experiences that allow their products to compete with aluminum, glass and plastic in practical modern life.

To visit these handicrafts centers, the visitor can come from Bogota (3 hours by land), or travel by plane to Neiva, by the south or to Ibagué by the middle west, and then go by land for about one hour. These Department capital cities and have all kinds of lodging, transportation and food services, to serve the different interests of tourists and visitors in general.

By Ricardo Cifuentes Cuadros
Tourist Office - Colombia