La Paz Centro's other claim is its pottery — terracotta roof tiles, plant pots, and the flat clay griddles called comales used across Central America for cooking tortillas. The clay deposits around town are reportedly some of the best in Nicaragua, and the industry has run continuously since the colonial era.
The workshops are mostly small family operations. Walk a few blocks from the central plaza in any direction and you'll come across one — an open-sided shed with the kiln smoking, a stack of unfired tiles drying in the sun, and a potter at a wheel. Owners are generally happy for visitors to watch and buy directly, with no haggling required. Prices are a fraction of what the same pieces fetch in Managua's craft markets.