Once a thriving indigenous population in the Guanacaste region, there is no one left today in Costa Rica with pure Chorotega blood. Sadly, the language is completely extinct as well. However, one Chorotega tradition lives on and that is the creation of beautiful pieces of pottery. In the tiny village of Guaitil in Nicoya that tradition remains alive and well as Costa Rican families earn their livelihoods creating and selling these exquisite pottery pieces. The raw material from which the pottery is made is known as "arena de iguana," because it is the sand where iguanas lay their eggs. The material is molded into shapes and sizes by hand using methods handed down from generation to generation since before Columbus arrived in Costa Rica. The pottery is then placed in a home-made oven after being meticulously painted with Mesoamerican designs. The pottery of the Chorotegas is a lasting heritage that gladly remains for all of us to enjoy.