Ñai'ũpyũ de Yaguarón
Ñai'ũpyũ
A hand-modelled black-clay plate made for cooking mbejú tova, and a symbol of Yaguarón's ancestral pottery.
What it is
The ñai'ũpyũ is a clay kitchen utensil, one of the oldest known for cooking mbejú tova. It is modelled by hand from ñai'ũ, the dark local clay, and some pieces have human-like features. In Yaguarón it is made mostly by women in the Peguahó district, and the municipality promotes it as part of local identity together with mbejú tova itself. It is a close relative of the ñai'ũpo of Itá, but with its own tradition in this town.
History
Potter Rosalina Robles, from the Peguahó area, was declared a National Living Treasure by the Secretaría Nacional de Cultura in 2021 for keeping these ancestral techniques alive. She taught workshops to young people at Yaguarón's Casa de la Cultura and died in October 2024; a living memorial in her honour, built with earthen techniques, was later promoted in Peguahó.
Did you know…?
Yaguarón, Itá and Tobatí shared a potters' fair next to the San Buenaventura church, within the 'Ñai'ũpo Rape' (path of the potters) project funded by the national culture and arts fund.
Where to buy
At craft fairs run by Yaguarón's municipality and Casa de la Cultura (for example on the Paseo de la Cultura beside the church during Folklore Day) and at fairs of the Instituto Paraguayo de Artesanía. Check dates before you go; production is small.