Pottery tradition of Albox

The origin of the pottery tradition in Albox probably dates back to prehistoric times, when objects were fired in rudimentary kilns dug out of the ground.

Argaric tombs have been found in the Cerro del Castillo area, containing pottery, as grave goods, which is about 4000 years old, and in Cerro de las Copas terra sigillata pottery from the Roman period, from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD, has been found.

But today’s glazed and polychrome pottery was introduced to this region in the 8th century by Muslims from the East. Given the existence of very suitable raw material in inexhaustible quantities, there were important producers in Albox for centuries.

The continued existence over time of the pottery tradition has maintained the same typologies, with slight variations, up to the present day.

At the beginning of the 19th century there were 25 potteries and between 50 and 60 potters in Albox. During the forties and fifties this number was reduced to twelve potteries, where dozens of master potters fired the clay and taught this trade to numerous apprentices. Today, and for some decades now, due to greater mechanisation, almost all the potteries have disappeared, and only one remains, “Alfarería Los Puntas”.

THE PROCESS - EARTH, WATER AND FIRE

The raw material is clay extracted from the earth, whose plastic properties, when moistened, allow it to be easily moulded. This clay is subjected to a traditional process of decantation to obtain a paste free of impurities and a great plasticity.

Once the potter has kneaded the paste well, he makes a ball with the amount of clay he is going to use, and places it in the centre of the potter’s wheel where his technique and art are responsible for shaping the piece.

 

The finished piece must be left to rest, protected from the sun, for a period of time so that it can slowly dry and harden. Next comes the application of an engobe, a suspension of materials plus water to modify its external appearance, giving it an earthy, non-vitreous texture.

Finally, the fire, after placing the piece in the kiln, permanently changes the structure of the clay, as well as the engobes, metallic oxides and enamel that give it its characteristic shine.

LOS PUNTAS POTTERY

Albox still has one of the oldest active workshops in the province of Almería, “Alfarería Los Puntas”, located in Calle San Leonardo, with Arabic ovens with 300 years of history, named by the Regional Ministry of Tourism as “Point of Artisan Interest of Andalusia”.

In the workshops, the master potters continue to bake in the traditional style, pots, jugs, bowls, jugs, dishes, etc.. The charm of their pots and pitchers lies precisely in their soft imperfections.

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