El Cercado

The typical stone houses and newer buildings of the well known pottery village in the highlands of La Gomera lie embedded in a beautiful terrace landscape. Three workshops keep the traditional art of pottery alive in El Cercado.

To this day, the potters make the ceramic art using traditional methods, handed down from generation to generation.

You can make a visit and watch the potters at work.

Traditional Ceramics from El Cercado

The potter Maria models as traditionally and skilfully as her colleague Rufina on the idyllic workshop’s little terrace. A third potter has joined them in the past few years.

Whether jugs, bowls or cups, everything is made without the aid of a potter’s wheel and can be purchased afterwards.

Without A Potter’s Wheel

The pottery gets its characteristic glaze from being rubbed with sienna-red argillaceous earth. Next, the ceramic is fired in a wood-fired stone oven.

The articles serve another purpose than just being a tourist attraction. They are very practical and are still used by modern Gomeros as containers for gofio or chestnuts.

Typical Canarian Cuisine

Anyone wanting to relax after a tour through the village of El Cercado, is best served in one of the local restaurants. Here you can enjoy a tastily prepared rabbit or Potaje de Berros, a hearty watercress soup.

A strong Cortado is the perfect way to round of the fabulous meal.