Loceras de El Cercado

Loceras de El Cercado is a group of women potters working in El Cercado, a village within the municipality of Vallehermoso on the island of La Gomera. It is the only pottery-making community that has survived on the island to this day, even though written references to La Gomera's folk ceramics go back to the 18th century, when several similar workshops were active.

Where does El Cercado's pottery tradition come from?

Historians have traced the first pottery workshop in El Cercado to the 19th century, founded by a man from Tenerife known as "el Guiero" together with his daughters. Over time the craft passed down through generations of local women, and it is they who have kept the tradition alive ever since. While other pottery centers across La Gomera gradually disappeared, El Cercado remained the one place where the craft was never interrupted.

What makes the loceras' work distinctive?

The real value of this place lies in the technique itself. The loceras of El Cercado do not use a potter's wheel — they shape every vessel by hand, following methods that predate the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands and trace back to the islands' original inhabitants. Clay pieces are hand-molded, smoothed, and fired without any mechanical equipment, which makes the pottery of El Cercado one of the most authentic surviving examples of pre-colonial craftsmanship in the Canaries.

What can you see at the Loceras Interpretation Center?

The El Cercado neighborhood is home to the "Las Loceras" Interpretation Center, which opened on August 1, 2009, an initiative of the Aider La Gomera association together with the Vallehermoso town council. The center explains the history and techniques behind the local ceramics, and visitors who time their visit well may catch potters at work on site, following the whole process from shaping the clay to drying and firing.

How do you get to El Cercado?

El Cercado sits in the mountainous interior of the Vallehermoso municipality, in the central part of La Gomera. The easiest way to reach it is by car from San Sebastián de La Gomera or other towns on the island, along local roads that wind through the farming and grazing land typical of the island's interior. The area is known for its terraced fields and views over the Vallehermoso valley, so it's worth planning stops at viewpoints along the way.

When is the best time to visit?

La Gomera enjoys a mild climate year-round, which means El Cercado can be visited comfortably in any season. It's still best to avoid the hottest hours of midsummer days, especially if you plan to walk around the surrounding area, since the terrain is hilly and the midday sun can be intense. Morning or late-afternoon visits work well both for touring the center and for watching the potters at work.

Why is this place worth a visit?

El Cercado is not a typical tourist stop with artifacts sealed behind glass — it's a living record of a craft that has survived for centuries with barely any change. Visitors get to see a process that has long vanished elsewhere in the Canary Islands but is still practiced here, generation after generation, by the women of the village. It's a rare chance to encounter the archipelago's indigenous heritage in a hands-on, non-museum setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the loceras? The loceras are the women potters of El Cercado who hand-make ceramics using techniques dating back to before the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands, without a potter's wheel.

Can you watch the potters at work in El Cercado? Yes — at the "Las Loceras" Interpretation Center and in nearby workshops, visitors can sometimes see the shaping and firing process in person.

When did the Loceras Interpretation Center open? The center opened on August 1, 2009, an initiative of Aider La Gomera and the Vallehermoso town council.

Is El Cercado the only pottery center on La Gomera? Yes. Several pottery centers once existed across the island, but only the one in El Cercado has survived to the present day.