Papier-mâché has become a high art in Tonalá, Jalisco, where a swarm of birds, cats, frogs, giraffes, and other animal figurines are meticulously crafted by building up repeated layers of glued paper. The result—sanded, brilliantly varnished, and polished—resembles fine sculptures rather than the humble newspaper from which it was fashioned.
Other paper goods you shouldn’t overlook include piñatas (durable, inexpensive, and as Mexican as you can get), available in every town market; also colorful decorative cutout banners (string overhead at your home fiesta) from San Salvador Huixcolotla, Puebla; and amate, wild fig tree bark paintings in animal and flower motifs, from Xalitla and Ameyaltepec, Guerrero.