Shaping a Heritage in the Pottery Town of Iguig, Cagayan
Hundreds of years after what is believed to be the earliest industry that thrived in this part of Cagayan province, the historic town of Iguig is picking up right where its ancestral settlers left off. By continuously shaping a living heritage through the delicate hands of its artisan townsfolk, the soft natural rock material called clay finds a permanent home and purposeful rebirth here.
“I thought clay must feel happy in the good potter’s hand,” wrote Janet Fitch in her acclaimed book White Oleander. It certainly does in the capable, rhythmic hands of the locals residing in the more than sixty households of Iguig—skillful hands that keep the molding going in order to turn this raw Earth material into solid, creative ceramic products.
One Town, One Product
It is said that in the early 1970s, a dedicated team of local and foreign archaeologists uncovered fragments of fossilized ornaments and ancient clay pots around various locations in the town of Iguig. Many historians believe these artifacts definitively prove the existence of an ancient pottery industry that flourished hundreds, or even a thousand years ago.
Today, Iguig has proudly earned the tourism moniker of the “Pottery Center of Cagayan,” as it ushers pottery making as the municipality’s definitive representation for its One Town One Product (OTOP) initiative.
Barangay Atulu – Home of the Itawis People
After alighting from our Lakbay Norte bus, we walked through rows of small, unpainted houses built from simple hollow blocks and wood. As we edged inside the narrow passageways, we were warmly greeted by local men and women seated in front of their homes with their hands busily caressing slabs of damp clay.
“More than 60 households here are actively engaged in pottery making,” the town’s Barangay Captain told us. “Barangay Atulu is mostly populated by the indigenous Itawis people,” he added.
We stopped to watch a few local artisans go about their delicate work. In a few rapid movements, one man was able to mold a lump of clay and, with a calculated hand motion, smoothly shape it into the form of a large chocolate bar. “This can be used for wall furnishing—like a decorative brick,” one of the locals explained to us in Tagalog.
It appears that every local artist working from their respective home specializes in a specific type of pottery product. At an adjacent house, we watched a father casting a chunk of clay and turning it into small flower pots, as his young child stood just outside their humble abode’s door, eyeing us keenly in return.
An Enduring Cultural Heritage
The thriving pottery industry of Iguig is evidently on display along the short stretch of the highway, where stores selling clay kitchenware, pots, and terracotta figures are neatly lined up.
Seeing all the clay products stacked up organizedly made me wonder why people are still crazy over mass-produced plastic and steel wares—especially those imported from abroad—when these ceramic goods fashioned from the skillful hands and ingenious minds of the local craft workers of Iguig appear far more elegant, authentic, and durable.
As we wrapped up our morning’s exploration around Iguig, I came to deeply appreciate the enduring heritage of the town—preserved in the form of pottery making handed down over centuries to the present generation.
Who would have thought that in this small, quiet town, a cultural industry believed to have first existed hundreds of years ago still thrives under the radar of most travelers and lovers of ceramic arts? I am glad to have learned about the existence of Iguig’s pottery industry and how it seamlessly weaves an entire community together.
