Otomi bark paper in Mexico: Commercialization of a pre-hispanic technology

The Otomi village of San Pablito in northern Puebla has preserved the tradition of making bark paper for over 400 yr, and today is the only papermaking center in all of Mexico. In the past 20 yr, bark paper has become highly commercialized and severalaspects of the Otomi papermaking process have changed. Unprecedented production levels have caused the total depletion of traditional sources of raw material. In response to this situation, the Otomi have been forced to change the types of bark that are utilized, the logistics of bark collection, and the treatment of the bark fiber prior to use. The majority of the paper currently produced in San Pablito is made from the bark ofTrema micrantha imported from the state of Veracruz. A plantation of this species is being established near San Pablito to reduce the Otomi dependence on outside sources of raw material.