Contradicting one of the most famous literary outbursts , there are those who want to remember not only a place, but the whole of La Mancha in general. We are talking about the exhibition Alma de cántaro. Cacharrería y oficios alfareros desde tiempos de Cervantes, recently inaugurated at the Museo Casa Natal de Cervantes (Calle Mayor, 48) in Alcalá de Henares.
The exhibition, which is temporary and free of charge, brings together centuries of popular pottery tradition in La Mancha -special mention should be made of the pottery of Mota del Cuervo, in Cuenca- and its relationship with Cervantes’ time: the Golden Age. What were then no more than everyday objects such as pitchers, pots, pots, jugs or mortars arranged in kitchens, patios, alcoves and corrals today acquire another meaning.
They are a material testimony of a way of life that has left “a cultural legacy and a very defined aesthetic, of great social and human value” thanks, among other things, to the role of the women singers or the collective ovens, which articulated the activity of the neighborhood.
Alma de cántaro is organized around two thematic axes: the search for the spirit of Cervantes in the places that inspired him – a journey captured by photographers of the stature of Catalá Roca, Muller, Wunderlich, Pando and Masats – and craft trades such as sweepers, cantareras, horneros and lañaores.
Alma de Cántaro Schedule
The exhibition opened last March 25 and will be open until September 21, 2025 in the following schedule:
- Tuesday to Friday: from 10am to 6pm.
- Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: from 10 am to 7 pm.
The last access is half an hour before closing time.
Ceramic workshops in Madrid
Things have a curious way of coming back -or changing so as not to disappear-. In the case at hand, an example could be the pottery and ceramics workshops, which have more and more followers in a world where we need to stop and really connect with what we do. In this article you will find some of them.