Oaxaca is a city buzzing with creativity. Many artists have made their home in this valley, including the famed Francisco Toledo, who was, and still is, beloved by the people of Oaxaca. During his lifetime, Toledo dedicated a considerable amount of energies to the city, promoting and protecting the arts and culture, besides the natural and architectural gems of the region. Even after his passing, his presence is still tangible in every corner. In 1997, he founded the Taller Arte Papel Vista Hermosa, a workshop dedicated to crafting artisanal paper from plants used for some of his and other artists’ works.
By the third day of our visit to Oaxaca City, my mom and I had already seen every landmark and museum on our list, but we still wanted to see things outside the city. Hence, we hired a taxi driver, Hugo, to take us to San Agustín Etla, a town about 40 minutes away. The city’s colorful streets began to look small in the rearview mirror, and the Sierra Madre Norte greeted us with its cacti-covered foothills.
From the moment we exited the highway, peace settled in the air. I lowered my window to breathe it all in. My mom and Hugo discussed Oaxaca’s history and culture while I took pictures of the small traditional houses with a mountain as a backyard. Hugo took seemingly directionless turns with great expertise, retracing the map in his head. I am always surprised by taxi drivers and how much they know. They are the keepers of their city’s secrets. “We’ve arrived,” he said when we reached a dead end. All I could see was a small construction and two ducks. I was told we were visiting a paper factory, and this looked nothing like what I had imagined—which is usually an advantage, since I like to be surprised. The property used to be a hydraulic plant that originally belonged to the CFE (Federal Electricity Commission), but it hadn’t been operating for years when Toledo convinced them to donate the property.
The beige and red building appeared to be a gift shop. We saw three women sitting side by side, cutting paper as we walked under the intricate shadow weaved by the canopy of diverse trees. There was green everywhere I looked, and I could hear water running, but I didn’t know where it came from. It was beautiful. This is a place for creating, I thought to myself. They barely noticed we were there. My mom asked if they were making jewelry. They nodded without looking away from their work and told us the tour guide was expecting us downstairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, a small older man was waiting for us. I could see the water now. It was flowing behind him in what seemed to be a small river. To our right was the workshop, a small dark shed with papel picado hanging from the ceiling and tinted water spread all over the floor. Right outside was a table overflowing with colors and textures that blended, creating a work of art.
Our guide, who’s also an artisan, explained that the different materials displayed on the table before us were used to create paper—and they’re all grown in the region. Inside four canisters, he stored different types of cotton that looked like clouds caught in different weather conditions. These cottons come from different plants, and their texture and color variety affects the paper’s outcome. He handed us a small piece of the pochote cotton for us to feel; it was like touching a cloud. Fibers extracted from other plants like papyrus, sugar cane, and corn totomoxtle are also used. The elements saturated with color, he explained, are the ingredients used to create natural dyes.
Inside the workshop, a combination of humidity and wood permeates the air. Machines are used to macerate the fiber of choice in water until it reaches the right consistency. After that, the goal is to eliminate as much water as possible. Another artisan grabs a rack, dips it into the pulp, pulls it out splashing red water onto his feet, and places it on felt. Over and over. Gulp. Splash. Pluck. An enticing rhythm is produced. They make each piece of paper, one by one. Every single one is different, and no pattern will be repeated. The final step is to take it to the press, which removes most of the water, and finally, let the paper dry. Understanding the care and artistry that goes into the process led me to the amazing realization that some things used to make art are a work of art, all on their own.
