Ráquira: At the village square
Last Sunday my friends and I rented a cab for half a day and went to Ráquira, the Colombian capital of pottery.
We left the hotel in Villa de Leyva in the morning hours, then driving thru a dry landscape. First stop was “El Fósil”, a tiny museum built up around the fossil of a kronosaurus, originally 12 meters of length.
After a drive of somewhat less than one hour and 25 kilometers, we arrived in Ráquira, a village of a little more than 1.000 inhabitants. A rural but very lively place, and the ultimate mix of local peasantry and tourism.
The main village street is crowded with shops, most of them selling fine pottery - anything from typical souvenirs to sets of plates and cups. The village square, caught on this photo, is complete with restaurants, the church and chatting locals. Just a block behind the square, the scenery was the Sunday market.
Tourists probably bring quite a bit of money in, but in many ways the economy gave the impression of being very local.
Anders