The maguey (maguey pita) with corn silk paper was made with the raw plant material that we have been using for almost fifty years for our renowned fiber papers. The technique remains the same as those used by our Ancestors, the Indigenous peoples of Mexico, Nahuas, Mixtecos-Zapotecs, and Mayas. Evidence of their techniques survives in a small number of their books, known as codices, which were spared from destruction during the European invasion in the fifteenth century.

The process to obtain the fiber begins with harvesting and tearing the large maguey leaves. Once dry, the leaves are placed in large pots with quicklime and boiled slowly over a fire for an entire day. It is important to note that we use the same energy matrix as our Ancestors: firewood. We, Lsx Leñaterxs, do not rely on the petroleum-based energy matrix. After the maguey fiber is cooked, it is rinsed with water until completely clean. Then, it is ground in the “bike mill,” which uses the force of our legs pedaling at nearly 60 kilometers per hour to grind the material. Once the fiber is ground, it is placed in wooden boxes with plenty of water and corn silk, which is never cooked or boiled, resulting in a pulp ready to produce 34 x 52-centimeter (13.4 x 20.5-inch) paper sheets. In the courtyard, the sheets are pressed onto boards to dry in the sun. Depending on the intensity of the rays of our Fathe rSun, the fiber paper will dry in two full days.

As you can feel in your hands, the maguey with corn silk paper carries two virtues: the ancestral knowledge of our Mothers-Fathers and the importance of minimal impact on our Mother Earth.

Susana Gómez, Carmen Sánchez, and Javier Silverio participated in the making of the maguey and corn silk paper in March 2024. Taller Leñateros is located in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

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