Papel picado colors and motifs and what they commonly represent

Meanings are described, not fixed

People describe the colors and motifs of papel picado in different ways, and meanings vary by family, region and occasion. Treat the lists below as commonly described, not as rules. If you are making a banner for an ofrenda, ask the family what they would like to see.

Colors

A cultural magazine article on papel picado from Huixcolotla describes yellow as light, purple as mourning, pink as celebration and white as purity. Other writers give additional or different meanings. Orange, because of marigolds, is often seen at Día de Muertos, and the Library of Congress describes marigold petals as fiery orange.

• Orange and yellow: marigolds and light.
• Purple: mourning, according to one source.
• Pink: celebration, according to the same source.
• White: purity, and white paper is also used for weddings.

Motifs

The same article lists cut figures such as skulls (calaveras), flowers, catrinas and suns on ofrendas. The Library of Congress folklife blog says that butterflies were said, in pre-Hispanic folklore, to carry the souls of ancestors who visit from the afterlife. That makes the butterfly motif in the template maker a fitting choice, with the caution that it is one tradition among many.

• Calavera: a skull or skeleton image, often playful, not frightening.
• Marigold (cempasúchil): the flower of Día de Muertos ofrendas.
• Butterfly, bird, sun, heart and star: common motifs in many celebrations.

Wind and movement

The magazine also notes that the cut figures move with the wind, and describes that movement as a picture of how fragile and beautiful life is. Some people link papel picado to wind among the elements on an altar. That is one commonly shared reading, not a requirement for making or hanging papel picado.

Choosing for your own project

Pick colors you like and that suit the occasion, and add a motif you can describe to children. For a classroom, a short note saying what the colors commonly represent, and that meanings vary, teaches more than a fixed chart.