Books & Writing
Ceramic artist. Author. Cultural ambassador for Nicaragua's Gran Nicoya heritage.
For thirty years I have lived and worked in San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua — a pueblo whose pottery tradition runs in an unbroken line back to the Gran Nicoya. I came with the Peace Corps and stayed for a life. Along the way I have thrown and carved thousands of pieces, built Atlantis Studio, written two books about this place and its craft, and taken up the work of telling Nicaragua's cultural story to the world — because much of that story has been mislabeled, misattributed, or simply never told.
The Books
San Juan de los Platos
History, Pottery & Potters of San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua
The first twenty-two years of my career, beginning with the Peace Corps — and the definitive chronicle of the revival of San Juan de Oriente's pottery tradition, with more than one hundred photographs of the pueblo, its potters, and its work. If you want to understand where Atlantis sculptures come from, start here.
Atlantis Studio
Creating my Ceramic Art Studio in San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua
The personal story: building a studio and a body of work in the pueblo — the construction, the processes, the finished sculptures, and the fusion of thousand-year-old technique with contemporary color and design that became the Atlantis signature.
The Cultural Record
I write about Nicaragua's cultural identity, the history of the Gran Nicoya, and life inside a working artisan pueblo.
Nicaragua Cultural Identity Heist
How Nicaragua's cultural heritage got labeled “Made in Costa Rica” in the museums of the world. Thirty years of research into how artifacts from Ometepe and the Gran Nicoya were systematically misattributed — and what the living tradition of San Juan de Oriente proves about where this heritage truly belongs.
Read it two ways — the five-minute essentials, or the full 20-chapter investigation:
THE SHORT VERSION (5 MIN) THE FULL INVESTIGATION SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK
Article Directory
Writing from the studio and the historical record:
- Nicaragua's Cultural Identity Heist — The Short Version — the essentials of the full investigation, for readers with five minutes
- Atlantis Studio — Our Story
- Atlantis Studio Original Artwork
- Maya & Metallic Color
- Atlantis Studio — End of Year Reflections
- Paul Henry Devoti — Books
The Work Itself
The writing tells the story — the sculptures carry it. Every piece is one of a kind, kick-wheel thrown, burnished, and sgraffito-carved in my San Juan de Oriente studio.