1. Amate Bark PAinting
Latin American Art

2. Amate Bark Painting
Originated with the ancient civilizations of the Myans and Aztecs.
The Myans and Aztecs believed paper to be sacred.
It was the medium on which their history and discoveries were chronicled.
This Large Amate Bark Painting painted by Thomas Ramirez
is 5 feet long and 3 feet wide.

3. Amate Bark Painting It kept their records of trade and tributes.
It filled their libraries with documents for future generations to use.
It was used in every religious ceremony as a way to talk to the gods..

4. Amate Bark Painting
Amate Bark Paintings from Mexico are about weddings, fiesta, birds, or flowers.

5. Amate Bark Painting Amate Bark Painting is a dying art.
This means that it is not being done as much as it once was.

6. Amate Bark Painting
Today three major groups of the Huasteca region - the Nahua, Otomi, and Tepeha - still make the amate paper. The fact that these people retained their knowledge of this craft is nothing short of miraculous, but it was probably helped by the fact that they live in remote areas where there is nothing to exploit.

7. Amate Bark Painting
The Amate paper is made from the bark of mulberry or fig trees.
After the bark is boiled and soaked in water, it is pounded into fibers.
The fibers are formed into sheets which are sun dried.