Abstract

n this article, we discuss the development of public policies related to pottery traditions in Central Chile from a historical perspective, as these manifestations of heritage have been part of the national imaginary since the beginning of the 20th century. We focus on the process of heritage activation, which started in the 1930s, was encouraged by ongoing cultural movements in defence of crafts and artisans, and ended in 1973 with the beginning of the military dictatorship. From our perspective, the veneration of crafts was encouraged by the interest of intellectual elites in existing subaltern practices; in time, this resulted in a series of public policies whose effects are still visible today. As a consequence, traditional pottery-making practices were modified to fulfil the interests of elites, marginalizing some pottery production centres and promoting others.