Diego López is part of Tierra Cocida, a second-generation family firm that handcrafts various terracotta articles used in construction, chiefly for finishes such as floor and wall tiling, bricks and roof tiles in various formats.

In making such items with traditional techniques they use only clay… soil, water and fire. The clay comes from their own local quarries near Valentín (Murcia province), in what is popularly known as Valle del Barro (“clay valley”), where their factory is sited. This raw material is mixed with water until it reaches the desired plasticity, allowing the clay to be fed into different moulds for the various items. The products are then left to dry with care being taken to avoid any wet contact between them. As they dry, any corners and edges so requiring are sanded to remove burr. Finally the items are finished by firing in a kiln at 1000ºC.

The kilns used in the process are traditional structures of the “Moorish” type located in Tierra Cocida’s facilities, in use since the factory was founded.

Among the products they make are outdoor and rustic tiles, clay bricks, Valentín facing bricks and other craft earthenware.