San Pablito

Across the deep ravine of the San Marcos River from Pahuatlán, San Pablito sits on a ledge on the side of Cerro del Guajolote. Its Otomí name, Bite, means "below the mountain." This village of under 3,000 people is the main producer of amate, the bark paper whose roots go back to before the Spanish conquest.

The paper is made mostly by women at home: strips of inner bark from local fig trees are boiled, laid out in a grid on a wooden board and beaten flat with a stone until the fibers bind into a sheet. On working days you can hear the steady tapping of stones from the street. Much of the paper is sold to Nahua artists in Guerrero, who paint the bright birds, flowers and village scenes found in markets all over Mexico.

Amate also has a ritual life here. Local healers cut paper figures for ceremonies, and some artisans sell cut-paper pieces inspired by them. The village also holds a long town festival that begins the week after Holy Week and colorful Day of the Dead celebrations from October 31 to November 2.