Мексикалық қағаз кесу өнері

Mexican decorative craft made by tissue paper

Papel picado ("perforated paper," "pecked paper") is a traditional Mexican decorative craft made by cutting elaborate designs into sheets of tissue paper. Papel picado is considered a Mexican folk art. The designs are commonly cut from as many as 40 50 colored tissue papers stacked together and using a guide or template, a small mallet, and chisels, creating as many as fifty banners at a time. In the streets of Mexico, papel picados are often strung together to create a banner that can either be hung across alleyways or displayed in the home.

In early Mexico, Using a small mallet and chisels with variously shaped tips, the artist then cuts out pieces of the paper from the stack.

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture officially recognizes and supports the art of papel picado. In 1998, the governor of the state of Puebla decreed that the style of papel picado produced in San Salvador Huixcolota is part of the cultural heritage of the state of Puebla (Patrimonio Cultural del Estado de Puebla).

With countless combinations of patterns and colors, there are many different types of papel picados used in Mexican celebrations. Specific patterns of papel picados are believed to hold significant meaning and worldly influence. Thus, the design that is cut into a papel picado is determined by the particular event of which it is displayed. Ofrendas highlight the four elements of the earth: fire, water, Earth, and air, of which papel picados represent air. Moreover, these types of papel picado are crafted in a way to resemble white lace.

Papel picados are also used to assist in one's life journey.) who would cut a figure into a papel picado themed to the person's specific need, which would help their situation. Carmen Lomas Garza (born 1948) is a successful artist and author who is of Mexican American descent. She is mainly known for her paintings and papel picado, and her artwork has been featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and many other museums. Margaret Sosa (born 1948) graduated from California State University and has studied papel picado for over three decades. She worked under master papel picado artist Olga Ponce Furginson, and her artwork can now be found in exhibits around the world. Margaret 'Quica' Alarcón (born 1969) was raised in East Los Angeles and now lives a life as an artist and teacher. Her artwork has been featured in many museums such as the Palos Verdes Art Center, Galeria Otra Vez in Self Help Graphics & Art, and Avenue 50 Studio. Herminia Albarrán Romero is a Mexican American artist who is best known for her papel picado, of which she learned to make at a young age. In 2005, she received the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts—the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Catalina Delgado Trunk (born 1945) grew up in Mexico City and now resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her artwork has been featured in museums such as the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan. Kathleen Trenchard is an author and artist who specializes in papel picado and teaches painting, drawing, and art appreciation out of her studio in San Antonio, Texas. Beatriz Vasquez is an artist in Indianapolis, Indiana. She teaches students all over the state about the traditional art of Papel Picado. She has/had pieces featured in the Indiana State Museum, Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.