Sacramento’s Friends of San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua brought color and craft to Mckinley Park on March 7, 2026, participating in the annual Art and Plant Sale and nearly selling out their entire inventory of handmade pottery from San Juan de Oriente with just four pieces remained at the end of the day. San Juan de Oriente is known as the pottery town, where 95 families make pottery in the pre-Colombian tradition using local clays.
The successful sale reflects continued community support for the sister city relationship, though the road ahead carries some uncertainty. Travel to San Juan de Oriente has been suspended indefinitely due to ongoing political and economic instability in Nicaragua, meaning committee members are currently unable to visit the community to purchase new pottery stock or assess ongoing and future development projects.
Despite these challenges, the committee recently transferred $1,200 to San Juan de Oriente’s local scholarship committee. The funding will support scholarships for 12 college students. Current reserves are sufficient to maintain the scholarships through the summer. Beyond that, however, funding is uncertain without new pottery on hand.
The Friends of San Juan de Oriente remain committed to the partnership and will continue to monitor the situation in Nicaragua as they plan next steps.
