AMATE BARK PAINTING
Latin American Art
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.
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..
Amate Bark Painting
Amate Bark Paintings
from Mexico are about
weddings, fiesta, birds,
or flowers.
Amate Bark Painting
Amate
Bark
Painting is
a dying
art.
This
means
that it is
not being
done as
much as it
once was.
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.
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.