Vision Rite of Lady Xoc

This handmade bark painting depicts the Vision Rite of Lady Xoc. Many relief carvings have a multitude of images of important female personages engaged in ceremonial rituals. Like this piece, many depict women engaged in the ritual of bloodletting. From 723 A.D.

Papel Amate, or painted bark paper, is an art form with clear pre-Hispanic origins. The handmade paper was originally considered a specialty of the village shaman and used only for special rituals. Decades later, the Otomi of Puebla began using bark paper as a canvas for painting. Typically, artisans will craft the paper from fig or mulberry tree bark, then sell or trade the homemade paper to other indigenous groups for decoration.

The technique of making traditional bark paper has a 200 year-old history in southern Mexico. Today, the rustic homemade paper is still made in small villages along the Sierra de Puebla using a variety of different tree barks. The process begins by boiling the tree bark mixture for 3-4 hours in salted water. Afterwards, the softened bark is rinsed and placed on a sturdy (typically stone) working surface. A large stone tool called a Metlatl is then used to smash, intertwine and extend the fibers to the desired thickness and measurements. The final step is leaving the flattened fiber sheets in the sun to thoroughly dry.

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