Pomaire History

Version Spanish

Pomaire is “hijackers' cave”, in Incan language.

It is located in a traverse valley and it is to 67 Km. of Santiago from Chile and to 7 Km. of Melipilla. It is a village pottery where all their inhabitants live off the pottery and the trade of ceramic.

Their origins go back to a town of Indians that was transferred numerous times of place by the agents and farmers among the XVI and XVIII centuries. Through this long period, the town was losing its lands. The current location of Pomaire dates of 1771, it dates of the last transfer. It is possible to find to this date, certain specialization alfarera, thanks to the presence of rich clay mines and to the diffusion of this activity in the area (Talagante and surroundings of Melipilla). however, the characteristics of this village alfarera, with an indigenous inheritance and a rural past seem to have been reinforced starting from the second half of last century, when the cacique John the Baptist Salines, to suggestion of Mrs. Remigia Castro Montana, her wife of Spanish origin, begins to incentivate the inhabitants of the town to elaborate ceramics to sell them in Valparaíso, in the market of the “Cardonal.”

Starting from 1853, ceramic caravans travel to Valparaíso before Easter and later on they go to the sanctuary of the Virgin of The Vásquez, for the celebration of the pure one. They became also ceramic for the exchange of foods.

With the step of the time the old country properties were subdivided forming small parcels, changing the physiognomy of the town with a new concentration of housings. The agricultural activities in the town have extinguished, only in their surroundings vineyards, employer, avocados and lemons are exploited. The urbanization became to Pomaire a town potter and today in day it is the main sustenance of the families of Pomaire.