Palemon Cuno Surco

Palemon Cuno Surco is the artisan behind highly detailed traditional pottery from the Cusco area. He presently lives in the small village of Ccorao. He loves everything traditional, and is presently building a traditional adobe Inca home. He is one of the few artisans in that area who specializes in this intricately designed geometric pottery. His work supports the continuation of this tradition and inspires other young potters in the community.

(left)	CST1	Chess Set
(right)	CST3	Backgammon Set

His chessboards are made from local wood and the figures are made from clay, fired in an open pit and then delicately painted with acrylic paint. Because of the small figures, this chess set is not recommended for children under five.

This Peruvian pottery displays ancient symbols and designs from the Inca and Nazca cultures. These vases come from remote villages surrounding Cusco, Peru. The artisans mix clay with volcanic ash and then roll this mixture into coils to construct the vases. A traditional pit oven is made from stones, straw and wood to fire the pieces. Once cool, the complex ancient patterns and designs are painted on.

Palemon Cuno Surco, the potter, is one of the few in the area devoted to making this style of pottery. The process that he uses combines clay with volcanic ash. He fires the pieces in an open pit oven and then delicately paints on the intricate geometric designs with acrylic paint.

These Cusco pottery pieces are low temperature fired and not recommended to hold water.