PAPEL PICADO:
A TRADITIONAL
MEXICAN FOLK ART

BY: LOS CACAHUATES
Catalina Delgado-Trunk
Arturo Olivas
Christopher Gibson
Papel picado literally means 'punched' or 'perforated' paper. This traditional cut paper folk art is found throughout Mexico and the former colonies of Spain as well as in the folk traditions of many other countries.

Papel Picado banners - Christopher Gibson
In Mexico the art has reached a pinnacle of expression and is present at every major holiday in the form of brightly colored strings of cut tissue paper banners strung under the portals of homes and across the narrow streets of colonial villages. Banners of papel picado are charming announcements bearing messages on topics both sacred and profane. They are found at all celebrations such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals. They are also present at all national holidays such as the "Days of the Dead", the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Christmas, and Independence Day. The materials of papel picado are ephemeral. Papel picado banners will disintegrate in less than a month if left out in the sun, wind and rain. Therefore few historic examples of this folk art exist. The Mexican art of paper-cutting is a marvelous synthesis of European, Asian, and Pre-Columbian artistic traditions. For 500 years the art of paper making and paper-cutting was confined to China with historical writings naming Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese court official, as the inventor of paper in 105 AD. Paper-making and cutting made its way into Japan around 610 and Central Asia by 750. The Moors who occupied Spain from AD 714 - 1492 had trade routes with faraway China. They introduced paper making and paper-cutting to the Iberian Peninsula establishing a paper-making mill in AD 1150. In strict observance of Mosaic prohibitions against graven images Islamic paper-cutting was primarily based on geometric and calligraphic expressions of scripture. In the centuries that followed the flowering of Arab culture in Spain, both paper making and paper-cutting spread to the rest of Europe. In Germany it became known as scherenschnitte, in Poland as wycinanki, and in France as silhouettes.

Dios de las Frutas -
Catalina Delgado-Trunk
When the Spaniards arrived in Mexico there was already a tradition of paper making that was called amatl in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The native peoples of Mexico produced a type of paper by mashing the pulp of the bark of fig and mulberry trees between rocks. Once dry the paper was then cut with knives made from obsidian. The paper cuts made from amatl were primarily of a ceremonial nature and included images of the numerous Aztec gods and goddesses, a practice that was discouraged by their Christian conquerors. Among the Spanish, the word amatl became amate. Today amate continues to be used in Mexico where one can occasionally find copies of codices and books as well as reproductions of the ancient deities. The Spanish introduced their culture, language, religion, tools, and designs, all of which had an impact on the production of papel picado. Additional cultural exchanges between the Americas and Asia occurred during the 16th Century. The Black Galleon of Manila traveled the routes between China, the Philippines, and Acapulco, Mexico, with its exotic cargo of silk textiles and leather trunks. Among the precious trade goods could be found a very fine paper that they called papel de China (Chinese paper) which was used to wrap the fragile porcelains which made their way as far north as the Española Valley in what is now New Mexico. This paper which oftentimes bore the stenciled designs for ceramics or embroideries was used for various types of crafts including papel picado banners. Although the methods and tools have not changed much during the ages, papel picado continues to evolve as a living folk tradition in Mexico. Much of the papel picado available in today's folk art market comes from the village of San Salvador Huixcolotla, Puebla, which lies southeast of Mexico City. The tradition of paper-cutting is preserved in the talleres, small family workshops of two rival artisans' families, the Vivancos and the Rojas, who maintain a spirit of fierce competition and pride in the art.


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