Disminución de las actividades artesanales de herrería y alfarería y estrategias de respuesta de los artesanos/as en los barrios Las Herrerías y Tandacatu de la ciudad de Cuenca en los últimos 5 años

Abstract

The Herrerias and Tandacatu neighborhoods are recognized for their blacksmithing and pottery activities, respectively. These activities have been decreasing over the years, and the principal reason is our globalized society and its transformations. This issue had to be studied because it requires to take into consideration the contemporary aspects and the context where the craft activities are developed. Also, it is important to consider all the strategies that the craftsmen implemented to face these problems. The raised objective was to analyze the components that have an effect on the loss of the craft activities and the response strategies used by the craftsmen in the Herrerias and Tandacatu neighborhoods for the past five years in Cuenca. The methodology used in the study case is with multiple choices and an explanatory scope; also, it used quantitative and qualitative tools to get information. For this study, craftsmen and neighbors, from both of the neighborhoods, were interviewed with 40 surveys and 14 semistructured interviews. In addition, old craftsmen took life stories of each neighborhood, and an observation and review of historical data. As well, two maps were done to show the location of blacksmithing and pottery workshops, with pictures of each one. The results showed that the economic, social and familiar factors caused a decreasing of blacksmithing and pottery in the past 5 years. The economic factors had more influence in the results. Moreover, Covid-19 pandemic is a conjectural factor that had affected negatively in the development of the craft activities. The craftsmen from the different study cases have faced this situation with economic, labor, and familiar response strategies to continue their craft activity