Individual papel picado banners are strung together to create festive, colorful decorations for celebrations. The pattern is laid on top of fifty layers of tissue paper that are placed on top of a lead sheet. The pattern is cut out using a hammer and different sizes of chisels. Though tissue paper is still preferred by the villagers, artisans also use metallic papers and plastic for other markets. Papel Picado in the Village of San Salvador Huixcolotla, Puebla, Mexico San Salvador Huixcolotla, Puebla , is the village most noted in Mexico for the art of paper- cutting both for local festivals and marketing in Mexico City and abroad.
Houses look festive during celebrations, their yards festooned with paper banners.
Cut Paper Traditions Around the World Paper cutting has been a folk art around the world ever since paper was invented in 105 A.D. by Ts'ai Lun, an official in the court of Ho Ti, emperor of Cathay, China. The humble nature of its origins and the anonymity of its practice has caused paper cutting to be ignored as an art form, though artists, artisans, and collectors are becomingly increasingly aware of this valuable folk heritage. Making Simple Papel Picado Fold a rectangular piece of paper in half. In pencil, sketch one half of a design on one of the folded halves. Rulers may be used to divide the paper into grids or sections.