A poto mitan is a physical post, wood or masonry, sometimes elaborately carved or painted, standing at the center of a peristyle, the ceremonial space of a Vodou temple, and in many humble rural temples it is genuinely load bearing, holding up the roof structure as well as carrying its ritual role, a rare case in this list of an object that is simultaneously ordinary building material and the ritual center of the room.
Who builds and maintains it
The temple's own community builds and maintains the post, typically under the direction of the presiding priest or priestess, houngan or mambo, and its upkeep is an ongoing communal responsibility rather than a single construction project finished once and forgotten, since its structural soundness matters as much as its ritual standing.
Its role, and who may approach it during ceremony
The post is understood as the pathway along which the lwa, the spirits, descend to interact with the community during ceremony, and while the general congregation gathers around it, active ritual handling and close proximity during the working itself are generally reserved for the officiating priest or priestess and specific ranked initiates rather than open to every attendee equally.