Pastel is proud to offer Lencan pottery-exclusively in the CSRA!
The Lencan Indians are one of the first known
peoples of Honduras, some 1500 years ago. This pottery is made by
the Lencans of today using the exact same method.
The art of Lenca pottery is presently being
restored by a small population of Indian women who have formed
groups to restore and promote this unique Pre-Columbian art of
their people. From the youngest to the eldest, all participate in
its process and structure. This beautiful pottery was known in
the pre-Hispanic era. It is made completely from nature’s own
materials.
The men chop firewood for the baking process and
hauling mud from remote areas to the homes and working spaces, the
balance of the process is a “women only” enterprise. The mud,
obtained from four different localities makes up the four color
groups used: dark brownm brown, red, white, After a 3-step
refining process it is mixed with water and molded into a fine
textured clay. Then it is ready for shaping into the artist’s
desire, currently more than 200 designs are being produced the
only tools used in this process are corn husks and twigs
After shaping and forming, the pieces are baked in
a large oven at high temp, cooled then ready for colors A final
open fire process is done using different types of leaves to
achieve the final colors, it is then cleaned and polished, then
baked again sometimes as many as 3 times to achieve the final
appearance desired by the potter
