Cartonería

Cartonería or papier-mâché sculptures are a traditional handcraft in Mexico. The papier-mâché works are also called “carton piedra” (rock cardboard) for the rigidness of the final product. These sculptures today are generally made for certain yearly celebrations, especially for the Burning of Judas during Holy Week and various decorative items for Day of the Dead. However, they also include piñatas, mojigangas, masks, dolls and more made for various other occasions. There is also a significant market for collectors as well. Papier-mâché was introduced into Mexico during the colonial period, originally to make items for church. Since then, the craft has developed, especially in central Mexico. In the 20th century, the creation of works by Mexico City artisans Pedro Linares and Carmen Caballo Sevilla were recognized as works of art with patrons such as Diego Rivera. The craft has become less popular with more recent generations, but various government and cultural institutions work to preserve it.

Cartonería, the making of three-dimensional sculptures with papier-mâché, is part of Mexico’s tradition of paper based handcrafts. Paper was developed in the region during the Mesoamerican period using the bark of a type of fig tree called amate or the fibers of the maguey plant. The Spanish banned its production after the Conquest, because of its use in religious rites, forcing the conversion to European and Asian produced paper. However, the ban never was complete and the production of amate paper still continues especially in parts of Puebla and Veracruz states.

Papier-mâché was introduced into Mexico around the 17th century as a way to make objects for churches with its use most developed in central Mexico. In Celaya, the creation of these figures became a trade much the way metalwork and pottery did, with the work dominated by certain families. Since this time, the technique has been used to make a wide variety of objects for both ritual, festival and decorative use, mostly by poorer indigenous and mestizo communities. The paper and cardboard used is mostly waste paper, such as old newspapers and boxes, with decorative elements, such as crepe paper being new. Most shapes are created with molds, then painted with acrylics.

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Wikipedia