Amate Bark Designs

Another project in 8th grade's Mexican art unit is their Amate bark painting.  Amate bark paintings are a craft native to Mexico.   Amate paper is created from the bark of the  wild fig tree, the  nettle tree and  mulberry tree, each with a different tone of color, ranging from coffee browns to silvery whites. Men peel the bark from the trees then women make the paper. They wash the bark and boil it in a large pot with ash or lime for several hours until softened.  Next the crafters rinse the pulp and lay it on a wooden board and beat it with a stone until the fibers fuse into a paste. The paste is molded and left to dry in the sun.  After the paper is prepared it is painted with bright colors.  Artwork often depicts nature and scenes of village life.