Amate paper is made from the bark of wild fig and mulberry trees. The bark is boiled for many hours and then hammered down to form huge sheets of paper. It is an ancient craft and dates back to pre-conquest times. It is still used today in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Amate paper is also sold to craftspeople in Guerrero who then paint it in a unique style, depicting elegant birds and flowers, detailed scenes of local customs - weddings, agricultural work, local festivities or sometimes pre-Hispanic thems such as the Aztec calendar or pre-Hispanic gods.