Lupita dolls

Lupita dolls, also known as cartonería dolls, are toys made from a very hard kind of papier-mâché which has its origins about 200 years ago in central Mexico. They were originally created as a substitute for the far more expensive porcelain dolls and maintained popularity until the second half of the 20th century, with its availability of plastic dolls. Today they are made only by certain artisans’ workshops in the city of Celaya, as collectors’ items. Since the 1990s, there have been efforts to revitalize the crafts by artists such as María Eugenia Chellet and Carolina Esparragoza sponsored by the government to maintain traditional techniques but update the designs and shapes.

A Lupita doll is a kind of papier-mâché doll which was made primarily by the poor along with those from straw, wood and rags. The papier-mâché technique is properly called cartonería, making a very hard surface when dry. This technique has been used to make a number of crafts up to this day, most notably to make alebrijes and skeletal and other figures for Day of the Dead. The dolls are usually created with the help of molds, one for the head and torso and others for the arms and legs, with the strips of paper and paste layered on thickly. When the five pieces are dry, holes are bored into them in order to connect the arms and legs. The two arms are connected to the body with a single cord that extends from one upper arm, through the torso, to the other upper arm, with knots visible on the upper arms. The legs are attached similarly. This allows the arms and legs to be moved from the shoulders and hips respectively. Traditional Lupitas are painted in various flesh tones and with other colors to simulate clothing or underwear. On traditional dolls, flower designs of Otomi origin are also painted. Those painted with underwear are then dressed in some kind of costume.

The making of Lupitas is known mostly in Mexico City and in the city of Celaya, Guanajuato, where they are simply called “muñecas de carton” (cartonería dolls). In Celaya, the dolls are given names which are painted on the chest.

These dolls were often played with along with toy chairs and tables along with play dishes. They are still often displayed sitting on a miniature chair.

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Wikipedia