Multicolored Hand Painted Wall Art Paper from Mexico, "Multicolored Circle"

Handwoven areas with open spaces adorn the center and outer ring of this folk art painting, created with a time-honored technique passed down through generations of Mexico's Otomi people. Edgar Trejo carries on the traditions of his village with this composition, painted with vegetable dye on handmade amate, or tree bark paper, which takes several days to procure through a complex process. Amate was a sacred material for the Aztec and Mayan peoples, historically used to write down and chronicle important events and trade, even serving as the bridge between the mortal and the spiritual worlds during religious ceremonies. According to Otomi traditions, the bark used to produce amate can only be extracted from a tree during certain parts of the lunar cycle, indicating the high level of respect held toward nature. Hand-painted, this work of art features a circular, multicolored motif.