Amate Bark Art by 4th Grade

The Otomi Indians in San Pablito, Mexico use the 

bark of the Jonote tree (similar to a Ficus) to make 

Papel Amate (Amate Bark). They strip the bark, boil 

to soften and smoothed into trays. After the paper 

dries, artisans paint the paper with traditional images. 

The fourth grade students work hard to create artwork inspired by the Amate Bark art of the Otomi Indians. I did my best to draw samples of traditional Otomi Indian images for them to copy onto their work. They designed borders and inner designs on their papers. They ripped the edges of their paper to make it look more bark-like. After penciling in their designs, they used tempra paints to fill them in. Some tried to outline their designs with black paint. I think they did a great job.

Check some out...