Papel Oaxaca: Home of Paper Maker and Artist Alberto Valenzuela 

“For a little over two thousand years, paper has been the foundation of the cultural life of human beings. Deep truths and superficial lies have been written on it, the human spirit has manifested itself, plans have been made, sentences have been passed. It has been used as currency, forests have been destroyed, water has been contaminated. Paper has wiped our asses, and we have killed for it…” Alberto Valenzuela

In the lush mountain town of San Agustín, Etla, hidden away down to the right of the church as you arrive at the famous Art Centre of San Agustín, is Papel de Oaxaca, the workshop of papermaker Alberto Valenzuela.

Despite the clandestine approach to his workshop, Alberto receives guests with open arms and enthusiasm to share his passion for the craft of papermaking. He weaves his philosophies into the experience of making: “Paper is so similar to a human being: it has memory, it is fragile, it can fly or be the meat of fire, navigate in a puddle after rain. To make paper, the only thing you need is the desire to create.”

Alberto began a formal education in biology, which is apparent in his knowledge of local plants and fibres used in papermaking. However, he left his scientific path in 1986 to pursue his creative practice.

He began recycling paper from an engravers workshop where he was working in Queretaro. He explains that he responded to particular needs, such as knowing the “substrate” on which he drew.

Originally from Veracruz, Alberto arrived in Oaxaca in 1995, when he met artist Juan Alcazar who was interested in exploring the possibilities of paper. Alberto remembers “I had negotiated with Finnish artists, Harry Lepanen and Vaisky Putkonen, who trained us for the manufacture of European type cotton paper.”

To begin with, the paper project did not have a headquarters, so Alcazar turned to Oaxacan artist and philanthropist Francisco Toledo to help with this. Alberto remembers that “by then (Toledo) had already founded IAGO and was the Mexican artist who sold the most and best.”

Toledo was apparently sceptical about the project, but Alberto’s enthusiasm was encouraging. They became friends and worked together, developing the paper workshop in San Agustín, Etla. Alberto describes the intense motivation of the prestigious artist, “advancing like a demiurge. Francisco, the friend, was unpredictable, distrustful. Toledo, the strategist, never revealed his plans.” Working with Toledo, Alberto felt like “a good sorcerer’s apprentice” – learning to make sense of a “cascade of events with unexpected conclusions” until he too could create plans that “make noise, while remaining silent.” This plan was “to build a town of papermakers”.

As they were searching for a place in which to build on this idea, there was a terrible fire in the forests of San Agustín, Etla. This was a sign to pursue projects in this community.

San Agustín is a place with a history linked to water. Alberto describes how the first human settlements took advantage of the runoff in these gentle hills, developing agriculture. The Spanish arrived and found the conditions for planting wheat and developed mills.

A hydroelectric plant was built, and a textile factory was driven by water. Labourers were brought in from other areas, changing the town’s dynamic from communally supportive campesinos to factory workers.

Alberto explains that these factors are a reason why the community of San Agustín is unique and different from nearby towns such as San Sebastián, which maintains its agricultural and livestock vocation.

As the textile industry declined, workers from the factory needed different opportunities. With the help of Toledo, the beautiful old textile factory was converted into an art residency space that ran with conditions of engaging the local people.

Paper requires access to an abundance of water, so the art centre of San Agustín was the perfect environment to develop the paper workshop. Finally, Alberto’s paper project had a home.

Alberto remembers the challenges of developing the project, yet the great joy of building a family of artisans: “The main challenge was integrating into the community without disappearing into it. Teach without lecturing, learn from everyone, never settle.”

Eventually, Toledo and Alberto parted ways, developing separate projects around papermaking. Now, the tradition of papermaking has become part of the fabric of San Agustín with several different workshops.

Visiting Alberto’s workshop for the first time, it was clear that his art extended beyond paper making. As you enter the workshop, the tools of his trade dominate the space; baskets of different fibres, sieves, presses and rolls of paper are everywhere. There are also stacks of books, plant pots, lampshades, hats, masks, hanging mobiles and jewellery made using paper.

During his work, Alberto lets the material speak to him. He does not begin with a particular plan but waits to see what evolves during the process.

Speaking specifically about his desire to make his range of jewellery, Alberto explains that “Everything has its causes. In this case, I find the cause in the story of a madman, a madman who lived in a cave near the town and lived a reality different from that accepted by the community. Someone found his hiding place, and in it were two or three necklace-like objects with a clear aesthetic intention. This story makes me think about the ancestral impulse that we feel towards the beautiful or how we transform our environment by transforming ourselves, imitating.”

“We modify our body. We adorn ourselves, responding to an almost animal impulse. We imitate to communicate, and we borrow the forms of nature, and with this, we build a language that frees us from our loneliness.”

I first met Alberto through his work making labels for mezcal brands. It was wonderful to see how a wasted element from this integral Oaxacan product was being up-cycled and used for beautiful paper products. The warm natural tones and the visible agave fibres are evocative of the story behind mezcal and engage the consumer in the dialogue around sustainable practices.

Alberto is now collaborating with Mezcalero Jose Santiago Lopez to develop a second workshop in the mezcal-producing town of Santiago Matatlan, where they can be at the source of agave fibres. This workshop will be open for visitors to learn about and participate in the story of plants, fibre to art.