Kids in San Juan de Oriente

Because of my interest in Nicaraguan ceramic arts, I spent many hours and days in San Juan de Oriente, a small village outside of Masaya. Along the main street in town, the elementary school and the church dominate the curve of the road. I'm always interested in kids, and one afternoon I was standing around waiting for school to let out so I could watch the kids tumble out with big smiles and lots of running and jumping! They were curious about me and I tried to talk with them in my limited Spanish, and we had fun.

Another day, I was invited in by the Directora of the school, and visited every classroom. It was a great experience for me. Each classroom was well-organized and orderly, and the kids were grinning at the silliness of this foreigner trying to speak Spanish to them! But it was a very interesting experience. For the most part, the teachers appeared extremely dedicated and involved. The entire school was involved in a tree-planting project, which I was given a tour of.

This was my first and only experience of being inside a Nicaraguan school, and it gave me an optimistic feeling for the futures of these kids. I hope these children will be well-prepared for their next educational challenges!

Torneador, Miguel Angel Amador

In San Juan de Oriente, ceramics are an important economic and artistic endeavor for the entire community. In fact, business has increased so much that some of the various parts of creating pottery for sale has become specialized. An example of this is the development of specialists called "torneador"s, or people who specialize in turning the vessels themselves.



In 2006, I met a young man who had been in the ceramics business for 12 years, even though he was only 25 at that time! Miguel Angel Amador was busy on that day making vessels for the Sanchez workshop. His father had trained in the 70's with a Spanish pottery project, and Miguel had been exposed to many aspects of the business as he was growing up.


In 2006, Miguel was working for 8 different family workshops. He had 2 kids and lived in San Juan de Oriente. If anyone knows where he is and what he is doing now, I'd love to get an update!

Doors of Granada

The doors of Granada is a subject in itself! What fabulous imagery and workmanship. I am always so intrigued to know what lies behind such creative barriers!



Granada is the oldest colonial city in Central America, being founded in 1524 by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. It has had a rich colonial history, and was at some points in Nicaraguan history considered the political and economic capital of the country. Today it has become a huge tourist draw for Nicaragua, with attention being paid to rebuilding the infrastructure and developing tourism amenities that are needed to become a first class tourist destination. Granada is a wonderful walking city, which is how I was able to find so many beautiful doors to photograph. Everywhere you look, the distinctive colonial architecture is fascinating and alluring!