In the Andean highlands of Colombia, a giant pink pig is now a Guinness World Record holder. The pottery town of Ráquira, in the department of Boyacá, has officially built the largest clay piggy bank in the world — a 30-ton, nearly three-story-tall tribute to the artisans who have shaped clay there for generations.
Guinness World Records certified the achievement in June 2026, with Colombia taking the title from previous record holder Germany.
A Monumental Pig
The sculpture stands 9 meters (29.5 feet) tall and stretches more than 10 meters (32.8 feet) long. At roughly 30 tons, it took months of work to assemble.
Local artisans used clay as the primary material, reinforced with concrete and steel inside to keep the structure stable through Boyacá's rainy seasons and Andean winds. The finished pig is unmistakably a Ráquira piggy bank — round, pink-cheeked, and grinning — just scaled up to monumental size.
It sits inside the Pueblito de Barro theme park, a few kilometers from Ráquira's main square, and has quickly become one of the country's newest tourist attractions.
A Working Bank, Technically
The project's designers were careful to keep the piggy bank, well, a piggy bank.
According to the organizers, the giant pig could theoretically hold up to 127,000 Colombian 1,000-peso coins inside its hollow body — about 127 million Colombian pesos, or roughly $37,000 in U.S. dollars. The figure is symbolic, but in keeping with the spirit of the original ceramic banks that families across Colombia have used to save for decades.
A jersey honoring Colombian football star Luis Díaz, embedded into the design, ties the artwork to modern symbols of national pride.
Pottery Capital of Colombia
Ráquira has been known as Colombia's "pottery capital" for centuries. The clay-rich soil of the surrounding valleys has supported indigenous and colonial-era ceramic traditions, and today the town's main square is lined with workshops selling everything from cooking pots to whimsical handmade pigs in every size and color.
The Guinness project was designed to spotlight that craft. Organizers say the goal was less about beating Germany and more about putting Ráquira's artisans — many of them small family workshops — on a global stage.
"This recognition is a tribute to the artisans who have built this tradition," local officials said at the unveiling.
Tourism and Tradition
Cultural tourism is a growing piece of Colombia's economy, and Boyacá has been steadily promoting its colonial towns, salt cathedrals, and craft villages to international travelers. The giant pig is expected to draw a new wave of visitors curious to take selfies with what may be the world's most photogenic piggy bank.
For the artisans whose hands shaped it, the record represents something simpler. It's proof that a craft once dismissed as small-town tradition can still surprise the world — one ton of clay at a time.
