In South America, there is one country that is known for its cultural and religious traditions and lively fiestas – Mexico. Throughout the history of Mexico, you will realize that hundreds of fiestas are held every year where people showcase colorful parades, dances, songs and other fun activities. Many times, fiestas will feature wonderful displays of buntings, flags and fireworks. The flags are specially referred to as papel picado. These are perforated pieces that present beautiful and attractive designs to make the surroundings more appealing.
The Aztecs are the ancient race in Mexico. They used to make flags via a material known as amatl. It is a bark-mulch paper with drawings of their ancient gods. These have been passed on from generations to generations.
When the Spanish came to Mexico, they introduced a new means of cutting paper, originally from China. The flags started to take on more attractive forms. These are the current ones you see on the streets and in churches during the festivities. The papel picado have layers and the designs are carved using chisels and knives. There are also flags that feature faces of people and other images, such as that of the Virgin Mary. Other pictures were also featured at times like flowers, skeletons, angels and crosses. Some people like to customize their own flags and even show their own faces or family emblems on the designs.
There are a number of places where you can easily find papel picado such as San Salvador, Huixolotla in Puebla State.