At least six generations of potters have passed on the know-how of this craft in these two rural villages with no more than 2,000 inhabitants, in the region of Ñuble, in central Chile.
The potters of Quinchamali and Santa Cruz de Cuca, mostly women, had applied in 2020 for inclusion on the Unesco safeguard list in order to obtain a mechanism to protect the clay with which they make their works. , which they extract only in the summer season but consider threatened by the development of forestry companies.
A woman shapes pieces of black pottery on November 26, 2022 in Quinchamali, Chile PABLO VERA AFP
"The logging companies planted pines or eucalyptus trees. They contaminated our clay," Nayadet Nuñez, 31, told AFP.
However, "our resources are already scarce", she added.
Ceramics are made from two types of clay, one gray and one brown, which are kneaded and mixed with yellow earth, then fired to form cups, plates or decorative items such as figurines of animals.
The most striking feature of these ceramics is their black color, which is achieved through a smoke-dyeing process.
Pieces of black pottery on November 26, 2022 in Quinchamalí, Chile PABLO VERA AFP
Before being fired, the bas-relief motifs are made using a needle or a piece of pewter, then painted with local white sand.
According to the application form submitted to Unesco, there are only five male and 74 female potters currently carrying on the tradition, many of whom are elderly.
In 10 years, there would only be 12 potters under 60.
© 2022 AFP