Thalmaniano · CC BY 3.0Itá
One of the oldest towns in the country and a capital of pottery, with a clay tradition recognized by UNESCO.
What it is
In Itá, clay is still worked the way it was centuries ago: women potters build up jugs, cooking pots and animal figures from coils of clay, decorate them with natural pigments and fire them in wood-burning kilns. These workshops produced the work of Juana Marta Rodas and her daughter Julia Isídrez, who took Itá's black pottery to documenta in Kassel and the Venice Biennale. The town also has the Itá lagoon (officially Mártires de Acosta Ñu), steeped in legend, with a park and trail, and the parish church of San Blas.
What to see and do
- Casa Museo Juana Marta Rodas: black-clay works and pottery workshops
- Pottery stalls and fairs: jugs, cooking pots and animal figures
- The park and trail at the Itá lagoon
- The parish church of San Blas
Did you know…?
Ñai'ũpo pottery is passed from master to apprentice in Guarani; the tacuara (bamboo cane) used to shape the clay symbolizes that handing-down of knowledge (UNESCO, 2025).
Juana Marta Rodas (1925-2013) received the Prince Claus Award in 1999.
Julia Isídrez exhibited at documenta 13 in Kassel (2012) and at the Venice Biennale (2024).
A local legend says a golden bell was hidden in the Itá lagoon during the War of the Triple Alliance, so it wouldn't fall into enemy hands as a war trophy.
Thanks to its clay jugs and sugarcane syrup, it's known as the 'city of the jug and the honey'.
History
According to tradition, Domingo Martínez de Irala founded it on February 3, 1539, the feast of Saint Blaise (San Blas), its patron saint. The Franciscans encouraged pottery-making: local tradition credits Friar Tomás de Aquino with teaching the women to make the kambuchi, the jug that keeps water cool. In 2025 UNESCO inscribed the ñai'ũpo pottery art of Itá, Tobatí and Yaguarón on its list of heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
Tips
- Casa Museo Juana Marta Rodas welcomes visitors by appointment (WhatsApp 0991 683 995); workshops cost ₲50,000 to ₲100,000 (check before you go).
- Clay pieces are fragile: ask for them to be well wrapped for the journey.
- You can continue along PY01 to Yaguarón (about 11 km), another cradle of ñai'ũpo pottery.
Best time: Year-round; in early February for the feast of San Blas.
Activities
Festivals and events here
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Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 7 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.