Ceramics program

Learn directly from the artisans of the Chazutino and Kechwa Lamista culture

A unique program designed to take ceramicists beyond their comfort zones and into living indigenous traditions. Artists will visit the homes of Kechwa Lamista and Chazutino artisans, engaging directly with their knowledge, techniques, and ways of working.

For those able to hike, there is the opportunity to collect clay in the farmland of Petrona and grind shaño—previously fired pots—which is then mixed into the clay using the feet, following traditional methods. We can also visit the home of Guillermina, tucked within the back streets of an indigenous town, where ceramicists will learn to form a basic traditional vessel and fire it using a shuntu open fire.

Venezuelan artist Jesús will guide ceramicists through ancient ceramic techniques, including how to build an underground kiln and create ceremonial instruments, offering insight into both the technical and cultural dimensions of the practice.

Included in the Basic Residency

Indigenous Ceramics Class in chunchiwi

This immersive ceramics experience begins with a one- to two-hour hike to the indigenous Kechwa community of Chunchiwi, offering a rare opportunity to learn directly from a local artisan where traditional knowledge is still practiced.

artists will take part in a hands-on ceramics class led by a Kechwa potter, learning the traditional coil (rolled clay) method. You will create a basic ceramic bowl and decorate your piece using naturally colored clay.

The process includes participating in a traditional Shuntu firing—an open-fire technique passed down through generations.

Class details:

One- to two-hour hike to the Chunchiwi community
Traditional ceramics class using the coil method with a Kechwa artisan
Create and paint a basic ceramic bowl using colored clay
Participate in a traditional Shuntu firing
Cost: 35 soles per class (paid directly to the artisan)

Sachaqa is located near several indigenous Kechwa villages, where ancestral practices continue, though they are becoming increasingly rare. Trina shares these traditions with great care and respect, supporting cultural preservation while helping participants reconnect with the natural world through art.

Traditionally, clay is kneaded by foot and mixed with shaño—a powder made from previously fired pots (grog). Once dried, the vessels are fired using the Shuntu open-fire process.

The return walk from the community offers sweeping views of the landscape. Along the way, participants can collect natural pigments, forming a palette of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and browns drawn directly from the surrounding environment.

Artists will also have the opportunity to collect clay within the village of Chunchiwi and grind shañu (fired pots crushed into powder). Petrona, a Kechwa artisan who lives near the village of San Roque, will guide us to local clay sources and demonstrate how to grind the shanu by hand using a large stone before mixing it into the clay.

not Included in the Basic Residency

Large Coiled Tinaja Pot Workshop with Petrona

If you would like to learn how to make larger pots that will be fired in an open shuntu fire, we can organize a special class with Petrona. Petrona will come to the studio to teach artists how to build a large tinaja pot using traditional methods. This process is intensive and collaborative, and it takes approximately two full mornings to complete the forming of the pot, plus additional time for preparation and firing.

Ceramicists will also take part in the physical work of clay preparation, which is an essential part of the learning experience. This includes processing the raw materials by hand, just as Petrona does in her own practice.

Clay collection- We will collect the clay together from the local area.
Clay processing
- Grinding the shano using a large rumi stone (approximately 1 hour)
- Mixing and tempering the clay using the feet (very physical work)
Pot building – Day 1: Petrona will visit the studio (Sachaqa) and spend the morning guiding participants in building the tinaja pot using the coiling method.
Pot building – Day 2: Continue building and shaping the pot until it is complete.
Paint your pot or add your own details.
Drying period
The pot will be left to dry fully before firing.
Open shuntu firing
Once dry, the pot will be fired in an open shuntu fire using traditional firing techniques.

Includes: English speaking translator, courses, fire wood and materials
Price: person s/.300 soles $89 USD

Kechwa Lamista artisans

The Kechwa-Lamista (Kichwa-Lamista) people are an Indigenous population of approximately 30,000 people living primarily in the San Martín region of Peru, especially around the city of Lamas. Their ancestral territory overlaps with the Cordillera Escalera Regional Conservation Area. Their culture blends Amazonian and Andean traditions and is deeply tied to language, land, and ancestral practices. Today, their culture is increasingly threatened by language loss, migration, environmental restrictions, and economic pressures that limit access to traditional territories and resources. One of the most vulnerable traditions is ceramics, which was historically central to daily life and ritual. Traditional Lamista pottery relies on hand-built techniques, locally sourced clay, and open firing methods passed down through generations. As younger generations turn away from the craft and industrial goods replace handmade vessels, the transmission of ceramic knowledge is at risk, making pottery a critical site for cultural preservation and revitalization.

Visit Wayku the indigenous capital

We will journey by mototaxi from Sachaqa Art Center for about one hour to the indigenous town of Wayku. Here we will visit the home of ceramicist Guillermina. Her home is a heaven for ceramics lovers, there are broken pots pilled in the corner ready to make shaño powder to mix into the clay. There are bedsheets hanging with fresh clay drying. Piles of clay everywhere which makes you feel hungry to start building. The clay oven she has built herself can be used to fire bigger pots. Which she builds using the rolls of cay technique. It is really special to be welcomed into her home and spend time with a community that lives so close to ancient customs and traditions.

Trip to the native community of Wayku in Lamas.

Chose your ceramic shape and build and paint your pot.
lunch in the home of Guillermina traditional food cooked on an open fire.
In the afternoon you can continue with your pot or learn how to weave a small chumbe belt
Tour of the town of Lamas

Includes: English speaking tour guide, ceramics course and a extra course in ceramics or Chumbe weaving, transport and one meal. The work will be fired and sent to Sachaqa.
Price: 1 person s/.410 soles $120USD

Chazutino Artisans

Chazuta is a district in the San Martín province, located about a two-hour drive from the art center. Ceramics have always played a vital role in the community, making the Chazutinos renowned as skilled potters.

During the visit, we can learn how to paint a ceramic pot, choosing from a variety of shapes. Chazutino symbolism carries deep cultural meaning, and local women traditionally paint using brushes made from their own hair.

A full-day cultural and ecological. journey from Tarapoto to the Indigenous river town of Chazuta, known for its:

ecological paper, ceramics, cacao, and natural hot springs.

One and half hour drive: from Tarapoto to the indigenous port town of Chazuta.
Ecological Paper Production: Visit a local paper-making factory to learn about the process of creating paper from local products. Opportunity to purchase unique hand made paper products.
Ceramics Museum: Start your day at the ceramics museum, where you’ll discover the history and significance of indigenous pottery.
Mishky Cacao: chocolate factory where we can buy amazing chocolate.
Ecological Soap we can buy ecological soap and medicinal products.
Lunch: Rio Bosque Mágico, Nina Juane which is a traditional dish wrapped in a leaf.
Afternoon: Choice of walk to the hotsprings of Chazutayacu or Cacao Farm Tour: Explore a local cacao farm and discover the journey from bean to chocolate. Learn about the medicinal plants cultivated on the farm and their traditional uses.
Journey Home: After a day filled with creativity, culture, and delicious flavors.

Includes: English speaking tour guide, courses/tour, sending the pot for collection, transport, juice and snack and meal.
Price: 1 person s/.420 soles $125 USD

2 people s/.330 soles $98 USD

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Ancestral Under-Earth Kiln & Ceremonial Ceramics Workshopwith Venezuelan artist Jesús

Learn how to fire in a traditional under-earth kiln and create ceremonial ceramic instruments using ancient techniques practiced in the Andean region for millennia. We have an existing structure for under-earth kiln firing and invite ceramicists who wish to experiment with this ancestral method.

Venezuelan artist Jesús will guide the workshop. He learned his craft in Cusco with ceramicist Taki Runa, whose teaching centers on traditional Andean ceramic practices, including the construction of kilns, creation of ceremonial instruments and reproduction of ancient ceramic forms.

Ceramicists will have the opportunity to:

Learn traditional firing techniques
Create ceremonial instruments and traditional ceramic forms

“My purpose with this program, together with Sachaqa, is to revive the ceramic art learned in the Andes—a traditional ceremonial practice shared by many cultures. It is a ritual act, an art of encounter and connection, and a creative, inspiring experience for all of us.” Jesus

Includes: Course, materials, firing, sending the pot for collection, transport to Lamas and meal.

Price: 1 person s/.150 Ceramics class

Jesus will visit Sachaqa for this underearth firing class s/.150