Ceramic pottery of San Juan de Oriente

Over 180 potter families live and produce ceramic pottery in San Juan de Oriente. Anyone from this town, on the edge of the Apoyo volcanic crater, can boast of talent at the potter's wheel. The students at Apoyo Spanish School visited a potter family at this town recently and here are some photos from their visit. 

Clay from near the Apoyo volcano is prepared and then thrown to make ceramic pottery shapes by hand on a foot-driven potter's wheel. Photo by Corky Peavy. 

The majority of the artisan potters in San Juan de Oriente work in homeworker enterprises, with members of the family occupying different jobs in the business which is located on the property of the family home. High quality clay is found near the town for making the pottery. The products are fired using low-quality fuelwood, from softer tree species or wood that has partially rotted, that burns fast. The ceramic pottery-making traditions in this area date from before the arrival of Europeans. Ceramic pottery is found throughout the area whenever excavations are performed, dating back as far as one thousand, five hundred years ago. 

After bringing the wheel to speed, the potter begins to manipulate the clay, first removing any air pockets. Photo by Corky Peavy. 

This town was once known as San Juan de los Platos. In those days, most people ate from rustic fired ceramic plates known as comales, which were not even fired in ovens, but instead they were fired in bonfires of stacked pieces of wood with the plates inside. The plates didn't last long, but they were cheap and easily obtained. As comales were replaced by porcelain plates, the town switched its focus to improved techniques and decorative pieces. During the 1980's, efforts at improving the quality of the pottery resulted in excellent artisan reproductions of precolombian pieces, and worldwide recognition of the skills of this group of potter families.

Within minutes, the potter has the clay at the appropriate conditions and begins to fashion the base of his desired clay object. Photo by Corky Peavy.

As the ceramic object takes form, the potter continues to add water to the clay. Photo by Corky Peavy.

A barrel shape emerges on the wheel. Photo by Corky Peavy.

The potter widens the midsection of the clay object, once the clay has become easily handled. Photo by Corky Peavy.

A thin-necked vase, based on a "tinaja" motif, is now ready to dry slowly in fresh air, then be fired. Photo by Corky Peavy.   

Plates are drying in air, soon ready to be etched, painted, then fired. Photo by Corky Peavy.

Duilio explains the ceramic finishing process to students of Apoyo Spanish School. Photo by Corky Peavy.

Ceramic pottery is still fired the "old fashioned way", in rustic kilns using firewood. Photo by Corky Peavy. 

An artisan potter shows off his firing kiln as fired pieces are being removed from it. Photo by Belen Camino.

Learning Spanish means more than grammar and vocabulary. The students of Apoyo Spanish School learn about the lives of ordinary Nicaraguans and the cultural traditions that penetrate their lives. Ceramic pottery making is one of those traditions that forms the livelihood of hundreds of individuals in the area around us. All Nicaraguans value these traditions by keeping ceramic items in their homes. Students of Apoyo Spanish School have the opportunity to meet families with a centuries-old heritage of this craft, and learn from them how these traditions are part of their cultural identity.

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Bat monitoring in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua II

Our bat list has reached twenty-seven species now in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, thanks to the steady work of our volunteers and staff. Each month, bat population monitoring is performed in four different locations. By performing the same bat monitoring procedure in different locations each month, we can detect trends in seasonality and also habitat use trends. Here are some photos from a recent monitoring session. Two of the more commonly encountered species are shown: the Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and the Common Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga soricina). Whereas the diet of the former is obvious from its name, the latter uses its long tongue to consume nectar and pollen from flowers. These are the two most common species captured in mist-netting in the area around Estacion Biologica. 

Common long-tongued bat, Glossophaga soricina. Photo by Ineke van Beek.

Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat, Artibeus jamaicensis. Photo by Ineke van Beek.

Florian and Line take notes on a captured bat. Photo by Ineke van Beek.

Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat, Artibeus jamaicensis. Photo by Ineke van Beek.

Our volunteer Line helps Florian with measurements on a captured bat. Photo by Ineke van Beek.

A new generation of bat enthusiasts help with the evening's work. Photo by Ineke van Beek.

Time for your dental exam! Photo by Ineke van Beek.

Our first capture of a Wrinkle-faced Bat (Centurio senex) was a real pleasure. It is widespread, ranging throughout Central America and into Mexico and South America, but uncommon in most locations, and is a poorly documented species.

A Wrinkle-faced Bat (Centurio senex) is trapped in a mist net. Photo by Xaver Schenk. 

The Wrinkle-faced Bat has unusual facial folds. Photo by Xaver Schenk.

Not everyone can be beautiful! Photo by Xaver Schenk.

Would you like to be a wildlife volunteer in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve? Let us know.

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Nicaragua Wildlife

Not all wildlife is easily seen by us when walking in a tropical forest. Most animals manage to avoid detection. Some wildlife are more active at night, others blend in with their surroundings. Many stay in secretive places most of their time. If we don't see them often, perhaps their prey won't see them, either. This green vine snake (Oxybelis fulgidus) is an example. Its color and shape make it difficult to see when among a mass of vines or small branches. In the pictures below, it emerged to bite an Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus) and devour it, while the latter was sleeping on its nest. Our volunteers caught the event in action, and Florian Schmid made the following set of photos and videos. 

FUNDECI/GAIA conducts many field activities in wildlife research and conservation which can use the assistance of volunteers, many of them coordinated from Estacion Biologica in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Whether you are a biologist, a student or just a nature lover, if you would like to participate, we would like to work with you. You can contact us if you would like to be a wildlife monitoring volunteer. Help us study and protect the mammals, butterflies, birds, fish and other wildlife of Nicaragua. 

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Apoyo Spanish School, Nicaragua

Studying Spanish at Apoyo Spanish School is not just about studying Spanish. There are lots of fun moments with new experiences as well as the grammar, verb conjugation, and vocabulary of Spanish language instruction. Here are a a few scenes which demonstrate the unique aspects in which you learn while you enjoy.

Students of Apoyo Spanish School visit the Catarina overlook, with Lake Apoyo below. Photo by Heidi Burgwardt.

Each week, students of Apoyo Spanish School visit the Pueblos Blancos, which include Catarina and other nearby small towns near Laguna de Apoyo. These authentic villages are full of precolombian and colonial heritage, with indigenous ethnicities predominant and artisan traditions which pre-date the Spanish arrival. From this view, it is easy to see why Cacique Diriangen loved Laguna de Apoyo.

Simba loves to join swimmers for a dip in Lake Apoyo. Heidi is his best friend! Photo by Heidi Burgwardt.

Lake Apoyo is a water-filled volcanic caldera, and  Apoyo Spanish School is located along the shore of the lake in the Apoyo volcanic caldera, between Granada and Masaya in Nicaragua. There is ample time for swimming in its clear waters and relaxing along the shore. Lake Apoyo is slightly salty, clear, the best swimming hole in all of Nicaragua. The lake is warm and inviting for a swim both day and night.

Trolls learned Spanish here, and returned for a visit a year later. 

Students at Apoyo Spanish School often return for visits to Laguna de Apoyo, and we are always happy to see them!

Students at Apoyo Spanish School also serve as bird perches.

Our staff at Estacion Biologica is always involved in some conservation or research project. Students at Apoyo Spanish School can participate as volunteers in many of these projects, including reforestation, animal rescue, wildlife monitoring, and others.

Bela gives a friendly greeting to all visitors at Estacion Biologica in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. 

The modest infrastructure of Estacion Biologica is simple and rustic, but comfortable. Hammocks are available for relaxing at any time, and Bela, our youngest dog, will visit to say hello. You can stay with us as just a visitor, take Spanish classes, or participate in our volunteer program. We serve homestyle meals, with healthy ingredients, thoughtfully prepared. We emphasize using locally grown products and minimize the use of processed foods. We can accommodate special food needs such as vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and other restrictions with advance notice.

Birdwatching before classes at Apoyo Spanish School. Dawn is the best time to see birds, and a watching them an hour is great way to start the day.

The staff at Estacion Biologica includes several professional bird diversity specialists. Each week, students of Apoyo Spanish School go on birdwatching and nature interpretation walks in the forest of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Birdwatchers typically see about twenty-five bird species in a one-hour birdwatching activity before breakfast. Bring your binoculars and a field guide!

If you would like to learn Spanish or improve your Spanish language ability, we would like to help you. Apoyo Spanish School is the oldest intensive Spanish language school in Nicaragua and the only school officially operated by a Nicaraguan not-for-profit foundation. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to register for a Spanish course.

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Trafficking in Wild Animals in Nicaragua

The traffic in wild animals pervades the Nicaraguan society. As one drives along a highway, parrots and macaws are sold alongside monkeys, armadillos, iguanas and virtually any other animal that can be made a pet or eaten. The pet trade in wild animals affects the populations of many wild animals which have gone extinct in large areas of the country. We dedicate this blog entry to the wild animals who are bought and sold illegally.

The Yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata) in the foreground is protected but, nonetheless, is more easily found tied to a stick or in a cage than in the forest. The bird in the background, an Orange-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga canicularis), has been dyed to change its appearance by these traffickers. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

The Yellow-naped Amazon, like many of its relatives, is a very social bird, residing in colonies of up to a few dozen individuals. Its range is the tropical dry forest along the Pacific coast, from Oaxaca in Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica. The soft vocalizations and great capacity to learn make this bird a highly prized pet. Its range, furthermore, has been highly impacted by man, leaving the remaining population with small populations at great risk of capture. The Yellow-naped Amazon population in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is very small, with only a few individuals and a single nest documented to date. 

Nicaraguans actively hunt and eat armadillos. Photo by Ron Reagh.

The nine-banded armadillo is common in Nicaragua, and is not protected from hunting in Nicaragua. We picture it here to show how hunters market their products daily along the highways of Nicaragua, whether legal or not. In fact, marketing wild animals is not permitted, even when they are hunted legally. Next to these armadillos, seen on the Managua-Leon "new" highway, there were numerous iguanas for sale.

Roadside armadillo sale. Photo by Ron Reagh. 

Three species of monkeys are found in Nicaragua. The most charismatic of them is the Nicaraguan spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi geoffroyi), listed as Critically Endangered. Throughout the Pacific region of Nicaragua, spider monkeys are rare or completely extirpated. Nonetheless, some people seek spider monkeys as pets-among the most important reasons for their sad situation in the wild. The pet trade is driving the species into local extinction throughout the Pacific region of the Nicaragua. And the monkeys in captivity are placed in chain-link cages or on chains, like the poor monkey below. This is a wild animal, not a pet, and it should be free to live and die in the trees, not on a chain, dependent upon man for every aspect of his life.

This sad Nicaraguan spider monkey is confined to a leash on wire suspended between two trees on the property of some wealthy owner of one of the Isletas near Granada. 

A juvenile Nicaraguan spider monkey sulks in its cage in El Coche Cafe in Managua. 

What can you, an ordinary Nicaraguan or visitor to this beautiful country, do? Here are some suggestions.

1. Do you know of any illegal traffic in wild animals in Nicaragua? Please let us know at FUNDECI/GAIA. We will protect your identity, confirm and document the situation, and provide the information to the Nicaraguan Police and the Ministry for Natural Resources and the Environment. 

2. NEVER purchase wild animals for sale. If you are concerned about the welfare of a wild animal in someone's custody, let that person know that a law may be getting broken. By giving traffickers money, you perpetuate the illegal business, thereby endangering even more animals by fortifying their market chain. By calling them out, they and others around you are emboldened to defend Nicaragua's natural heritage against the dealers in wild animals.

3. Discuss the issue with your friends in Nicaragua. Sharing information and opinions is healthy and leads to better-informed decisions among the entire public. Many well-meaning people participate in the illegal traffic in wild animals in Nicaragua without thinking they have done anything wrong or illegal. Let them know you don't approve and they will consider your opinion. 

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Reptiles in the food chain: Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve

The wildlife of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve includes many species of reptiles. Our volunteer Trolls Hummelgren documented two reptiles in a life-and-death struggle, as a brown vine snake, Oxybelis aeneus, bit and held tightly to a rosebelly lizard, Sceloporus variabilis. 

The lizard bit back, and eventually, the snake released its grip. Both scampered off and out of sight, so we don't know if the venom eventually caught up with the lizard and allowed the snake to catch. Furthermore, the lizard was considerably broader than this snake. Could the snake swallow this? Probably!

FUNDECI/GAIA staff discuss the identification of a lizard from Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo by Kolby Kirk.

FUNDECI/GAIA conducts research and population monitoring on several groups of flora and fauna in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. We have developed a reptile and amphibian list of over twenty species. Wildlife photography opportunities can be found in all seasons.

Conophis lineatus has a firm grip on Ameiva festiva in the garden at Estacion Biologica. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary. 

Would you like to volunteer in conservation of native flora and fauna in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve? There is much to do, so please apply!

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