What papel picado is and where it comes from

What the name means

Papel picado means “perforated paper” in Spanish. It is decorative paper in which patterns are cut or punched out, usually hung on strings as banners at celebrations. The paper is most often thin, brightly colored tissue paper, called papel de China in Mexico.

The craft is made and used across Mexico and in Mexican American communities. This guide is a short introduction; the sources at the end go further.

San Salvador Huixcolotla, Puebla

San Salvador Huixcolotla, a town in the state of Puebla, is widely described as a center, and sometimes as the birthplace, of papel picado. A 1998 recognition of the Huixcolotla craft as cultural heritage is mentioned in the sources below, though they name different bodies, so we state only that it was recognized. The Museo Nacional de las Culturas Populares holds a 1994 photograph by Ruth Lechuga of a man perforating papel picado in the town, which shows that the work was well established there.

How it is traditionally made

Artisans cut many sheets at once. One source says designs are commonly cut from stacks of about 40 to 50 sheets of tissue paper using a pattern, a small mallet and chisels, which are called fierritos in Spanish. Another describes metal chisels and punches working on lead or wax molds, so the tool is struck through the stack rather than cut with scissors.

Scissors-cut and folded paper versions are the ones most people make at home, and they are a good craft in their own right, but they work differently from chiseled stacks.

What is uncertain

Origin stories vary. One account says tissue paper became common in Mexico around the middle of the 19th century through hacienda stores, and another dates the Huixcolotla trade to the 1930s and a particular artisan’s shop. A cultural magazine also says that earlier forms were made on amate bark paper with images tied to nature and the afterlife. These accounts overlap rather than agree exactly, so treat specific dates as approximate unless you have a primary source.

Using this knowledge when you make your own

If you make papel picado for a school or party, say that it is inspired by a Mexican tradition and name where it comes from. Buying from a Mexican artisan or shop when you can is a good way to support the craft that the templates on this site only imitate.