Pomaire
(Shopping Heaven)
Pomaire
is a small village about 60km west of
If
you have ever eaten at any restaurant in
The
drive to Pomaire along the 'Autopista del Sol' was extremely pleasant and if
you look at all the bridges along the route, you will notice a restaurant on
top of one. Be sure to conserve your energy because you are going to need it
once you arrive. The trick is to go with
someone who speaks Spanish (my wife) and try not to look like a tourist. While we were there, a bus load of American
tourists arrived and made it obvious that they were tourists. I walked through one shop and there were 2
Americans discussing, very loudly, American politics. Who cares!!!!! They probably got ripped off. As usual in Chile, you have people employed
by the various eateries to bring in clients.
We went to one that was off the main drag and were pleasantly
surprised. The food was delicious and
plentiful and there was entertainment to boot.
Firstly there we two blokes playing music from the different regions of
Chile and a little later they were followed by a couple that danced several of
the different cueca’s (national dance) of Chile.
There
was just so much to choose from here and dare I say a sexist comment but it is
a woman’s paradise. Browse through the
pictures in the gallery and decide for yourself. We came back a few thousand pesos lighter but
we had many fine items of pottery in our possession.
History
of Pomaire
Pomaire
owes its name to Curaca Pomaire who arrived to flat fertile land, a little to
the north of where Pomaire is situated today, with a group of indigenous people
in 1482. In 1583, due to the growth of its population, the tribe moved to
Pomaire's current position which is surrounded by hills that were a source for
the clay they needed for their pottery.
Domingo
Pomaire, who was born in 1690, was the first indigenous person to be baptised
in the region. His son, Tomás Pomaire, was the first governor of the area
between 1742 and 1745 and since then, Pomaire remained as the town's name.
From the
middle of the 19th century, Juan Bautista Salinas and his wife Remigia Castro
Montana began to motivate the local inhabitants to produce more pottery so that
it could be sold later at El Cardonal market in Valparaíso. From 1853, a
caravan of carts filled with pottery would regularly travel to Valparaiso just
before Christmas to sell their wares and from there, continue on to the Virgen
de Lo Vásquez Sanctuary for the local religious celebrations at that time.
During
the rest of the year, the local potters would often visit neighbouring
landowners and farm workers to exchange pottery for food.
The
artisans have conserved the tradition of working with clay using basically the
same techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. In 1982, the first Chilean soap opera filmed
in colour (called 'La Madrastra' or The Stepmother) used Pomaire as a backdrop.
It was about a Chilean that was stranded overseas and who had to make pottery
in order to save enough money to return home (to Pomaire). More recently, Pomaire has been producing a
lot of dried plants and flowers, often quite colourful, as a compliment to the
pottery.
How
to Get There
Pomaire
is 60km west of Santiago and 7km east of Melipilla.
The
buses to Melipilla leave Santiago every ten minutes and cost about $1500 pesos
one way. From Melipilla you can take a 'colectivo' (a local shared taxi with a
fixed route and fare) to Pomaire or you can take one of the buses that
frequently go there.
If
you have you own car, you can take the 'Autopista del Sol' which is the
relatively new highway between
An
alternative route, without having to pay the highway tolls, is to take the old
Santiago-Melipilla road known as 'Camino a Melipilla'. It gets a little bumpy
in places but it's a lot of fun as you stumble across many little towns along
the way such as Talagante and El Monte.
Try
to visit Pomaire during the week (except Mondays when it's pretty much closed)
as the weekends are normally crowded with visitors from Santiago and trust me,
it does get busy.
Every
May the town celebrates 'la semana Pomairina' or the Pomairian Week which marks
the beginning of Chicha production.
