Chulucanas Ceramic

Chulucanas is a town in the northern part of Peru which is located near the middle point of the Piura River. The air is dry, the temperature moderately high and the valley is very fertile, which contrasts with the desert which is located just a few kilometers to the south and which is Peru's largest - the Sechura Desert.

Pre-Columbian vessels made with a negative smoke resist technique were found in burial sites of the Vicus culture in this area. Unfortunately, this technique had been lost over the centuries.

In the late 1960's, several local potters, with the help of a few interested supporters in the area, founded a group called Sanoc Camayoc, or Masters of Clay. The goal of this group was to rediscover the pre-Columbian techniques that had been used by their ancestors in the area. Through many trials and errors they discovered the technique used to create the black-on-white and white-on-black patterns.

The hallmark of Chulucanas pottery is the black, which is not painted, each pieces is made by hand-turning. A wooden paddle and smooth stone are used to thin the pieces. After this, a base coat of clay and mineral oxides are applied to the pieces and they are burnished and fired. The vases are often repainted in the areas where the base color is to be retained. The vases are smoked twice with smoldering mango leaves. Any area that did not receive the second engobe application absorbs the smoke and turns a dark, rich brown. the engobe is then washed off revealing the lighter color. Once the pieces have been fired, they are polished by rubbing them with volcanic stone.