El Cercado

Today we actually wanted to go hiking, but as it was raining up in the laurel forest, we drove to El Cercado.

The small village is located south of the Garajonay National Park and west of Chipude. The inconspicuous village with its mostly single-storey stone houses is the pottery village of La Gomera par excellence.

Three pottery studios still practice the traditional pottery art of the Gomeran natives here today. This is characterized by the fact that it is made freehand without a potter's wheel. In their shops you can see the three potters at work almost every day and buy one or two of their works.

The ceramics of El Cercado get their specific shine from rubbing with Siena red clay. It is then fired in a wood-fired stone oven.

There is also a small museum in the village, where the history of pottery in the village is told and the production process is explained in detail.

Since my love is a woodturner, I have a lot of bowls and dishes made of wood, so I did not buy any pottery here.Read more