| The "tinajon" (large earthenware jar) is the symbol of | | | | elaborated after 1976, when the pottery tradition |
| Camaguey par excellence. The tinajon has its roots in | | | | was revived. |
| the Catalan and the Andalusian pots, used to store | | | | The typical "tinajón camagüeyano" has a large |
| grains, wines, and oils, brought to Cuba by Spanish | | | | belly, geometrical, defined lines, and a prominent |
| immigrants that settled in the village by 1700. The | | | | crest. Its fabrication is totally artisanal and it takes |
| permanent lack of water of the first settlements | | | | weeks to model and cook each of them. It is |
| made the tinajones change their function from a | | | | fabricated using clay strips that start joining and |
| traditional use to serve as water storage containers. | | | | forming the sides till the wanted shape is achieved. |
| It's been assumed that the tinajones were | | | | Then, the sides are polished and sealed and after |
| elaborated en masse in the region since the 17th | | | | that, a kiln is built surrounding the tinajón. A kiln |
| century; however, there is evidence of their | | | | made of bricks and adobe is built around every single |
| elaboration and use in Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, | | | | tinajón. Once the kiln is completed, the firing process |
| Jamaica, and even in Chile and Peru. | | | | starts, which can take days depending on the size. It |
| To manufacture a "tinajón camagüeyano", red | | | | is necessary that an operator watches the |
| clay from the Sierra de Cubitas mountains is used. It's | | | | temperature and ventilators for 24 hours. Once the |
| been estimated that the first samples were made by | | | | firing is done, some time should be allowed so that |
| the middle of the 17th century, but there is no | | | | the pot and the kiln can get cold and the kiln can be |
| evidence of this. The oldest discovered dates back | | | | dismantled and the tinajón can be taken out already |
| to 1760. It's popular to believe that during the 19th | | | | finished. |
| century, every single house in Camagüey used to | | | | The original pottery masters paved the way for the |
| have at least one tinajón. The water contained | | | | current Camagüey pottery, and along with the |
| inside the fresh sides was used to drink and to cook, | | | | new generation, have created a scene of tinajones in |
| and toasts were usually made when visitors stopped | | | | the typical yards of Camagüey, transcending the |
| by. | | | | centuries, among "arecas", flowers and ferns. Over |
| In a census conducted in 1900, there were more | | | | time, the tinajón has become much more than a |
| than 16 thousand tinajones in the city. Nowadays, | | | | functional and ornamental yard piece, it has become |
| there are just 2500 original samples. The majority of | | | | become the symbol of Camagüey: that of the |
| the ones used today in gardens and parks were | | | | "City of the Tinajones". |