Chile de Finde
Clay pieces for sale at a craft stall in Pomaire.

53 km from Santiago · straight line

Pomaire

A potters' town where clay is not a souvenir but the trade that organises the streets and the workshops.

  • On the list
  • A day
  • Possible with connections

Photograph: Rjcastillo · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Cartography: OpenStreetMap

How to get there

Recommended option

Car on the road towards Melipilla; the town itself is covered entirely on foot.

Possible with connections

Departure point
Santiago, west on the Melipilla road
Arrival point
Pomaire
Final leg
From the turn-off on the main road there is a short leg into the town.
Limitations
We could not confirm a stable direct service from Santiago with a good enough source. Without a car, check the current connection towards Melipilla and the local link before setting off.

Schedules, fares and conditions may change. Check the latest information before travelling.

Municipalidad de MelipillaDirections from SantiagoOpen in Google MapsView on OpenStreetMap

Reviewed: 2026-08-04 · Chile de Finde estimate

Why it's worth the trip

Because it is a living trade rather than a staged one, and because half a day is enough to understand a whole material tradition.

Landscape

Pomaire has worked clay since long before it became a weekend outing. The local clay is dug, kneaded, thrown and fired in kilns in the town itself, and much of the output is still utilitarian: pans, dishes, jugs and pots used daily in Chilean kitchens. Visiting means going into the workshops, seeing a piece half-made and understanding why clay changes the taste of what is cooked in it. The town is small and walkable in a morning.

  • Valley
San Antonio street in Pomaire, Melipilla.
San Antonio street in Pomaire, Melipilla. Photograph: Marco Antonio Correa Flores · CC BY-SA 4.0

What the trip could look like

Half a day: workshops in the morning, lunch in town, back to Santiago in the afternoon.

An idea of how the day would go.

A good fit if

  • An interest in craft and trades
  • A short outing with children
  • Buying something you will actually use

Maybe not if

  • Anyone after landscape or nature
  • Very busy weekends

Worth knowing

  • The workshops are working businesses: ask before photographing someone at work.
  • Unglazed clay needs curing before first use; the workshops themselves explain how.
  • At weekends and on public holidays the town fills up and waits for a table get long.

Sources

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