Pottery in 'Gwyneth Paltrow's town' becomes UNESCO heritage

The decorative blue-patterned plates, jugs, pots and trays made in Puente del Arzobispo and Talavera de la Reina - but considered 'native' to the latter – were chosen at a United Nations meeting in Bogotá, Colombia based upon their 'manufacturing procedure, intricate design and enamelling' which are 'completely handmade' using 'identical techniques' to the first ones ever produced in the 16^th century, which have remained unchanged since.

According to UNESCO, the 'theoretical and practical knowledge and skill' employed in making the pottery covers the entire process including 'preparing the clay', 'moulding', 'decorating in relief', 'mixing and preparing the dyes and enamel' and 'kiln-firing'.

The complete procedure involves 'great skill', UNESCO explains.

In an age where many traditional arts and handicrafts for decorative or practical use are dying out, Talavera de la Reina and Puente del Arzobispo have managed to keep theirs alive for 500 years so far.

The master potters and ceramic workers who create the pieces have learnt their skills through word-of-mouth training passed down through generations and in workshops, meaning theirs are unique in the world.

Each and every ceramic workshop in the two towns have their own 'very different stamp' which means buyers and viewers can instantly tell exactly where they came from based upon their varying, elaborate designs, the precise tone of the dye, and the level of finish.

Mayoress of Talavera, Tita García, says the pottery techniques is 'a mark of the town's identity' and 'forms part of its culture and history'.

Being declared UNESCO cultural heritage means these skills are 'guaranteed' to be perpetuated through future generations and will not run the risk of dying out, Sra García says.

Talavera de la Reina is now famous for two reasons, not just one – US actress Gwyneth Paltrow spent many months in the town learning Spanish and returned again and again to keep up the language, which she is fluent in.

The Hollywood star even has a street named after her in Talavera.

In fact, inland Spain seems popular with the rich and famous – former UK Conservative prime minister John Major reportedly holidays every year in the village of Candeleda (Ávila province, Castilla y León) where he is well-known and liked by the locals and has a street named after him.

Other intangible cultural heritage 'adopted' by UNESCO at the Bogotá meeting includes the Bachatá dance step from the Dominican Republic, the Señor Jesús del Gran Poder ('Lord Jesus of the Great Power') festival in La Paz, Bolivia, and the popular-culture practice of Bumba-meu-boi in Maranhão, Brazil.

The morna music from the west African islands of Cape Verde, the Dotar manufacturing in Iran, the Epiphany celebrations in Ethiopia, the Byzantine songs of Cyprus and Greece, the airag-making in the khokhuur in Mongolia, the Ommegang historical and festive procession in Brussels, Belgium, date-palm farming in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen, the Armenian art of calligraphy, and the traditional seasonal livestock processions to move cattle, sheep and other grazing animals between winter and summer pastures via agricultural migratory routes in Mediterranean countries and the Alpes – in Italy, Greece and Austria – have also recently been named UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.