ŗĆÉ«tv

PiƱatas are synonymous with parties, although their history is layered and can be traced to 16th century trade routes between Latin America and Asia and the efforts of Spanish missionaries to convert Indigenous communities to Christianity. It was through dance, music and the arts ā€” including the making of piƱatas ā€” that biblical stories were spread throughout the New World.

PiƱatas became a key part of celebrating Las Posadas ā€” the festivities held each December in Mexico and other Latin American countries to mark the birth of Christ. The religious origins are evident in the classic piƱata designs of the seven-point star and the burro, or donkey, said CesĆ”reo Moreno, chief curator at the ŗĆÉ«tv Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.

ā€œThose early missionaries really were creative in the ways in which they wanted to teach the biblical stories to the Indigenous people," Moreno said. "Nativity scenes, piƱatas, posadas ā€” all those things really worked well. They worked so well that they became a part of the popular culture of Mexico.ā€

And they still are part of the Mexican and larger Hispanic communities, whether it's in Chicago, San Antonio or Los Angeles, he said.

ā€œCulture has no borders. Wherever community gathers, they have their culture with them. They bring it with them and so the piƱata is no different,ā€ he said.

PiƱatas imported from Mexico line parts of Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles. In Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, people have turned their kitchen tables and garages into makeshift piƱata factories, turning out custom shapes for birthday parties and special events.

Inside Casa de PiƱatas in Albuquerque, giant characters hang from the ceiling and crowd the walls. For more than half his life, shop owner Francisco Rodrƭguez has been bringing to life super heroes, dinosaurs, sea creatures and other animals with strips of old newspaper and a simple paste of flour and water.

Some customers come from El Paso, Texas, and others from as far away as Michigan.

RodrĆ­guez stared out the window, watching traffic zip by as he waited for his work to dry. With residue still on his apron and the fans blowing, he contemplated the future of the industry, hoping the next generation will take an interest in the craft.

He said many older piƱata artists have retired or closed up their shops and heā€™s concerned the materials needed ā€” like newspapers ā€” will be harder to get as more things go digital.

It's likely piƱatas will keep evolving as they have over the centuries. No longer are they made from clay ollas ā€” used for hauling water or storing food ā€” that would make a loud pop when cracked. Gone are the shards that would litter the ground as children scrambled for the tangerines, pieces of sugar cane and candy that poured out.

The stamps were inspired by the childhood memories of graphic designer Victor MelƩndez, who grew up in Mexico City and remembers spending days with cousins and other relatives making piƱatas to celebrate Las Posadas. His mother also would make piƱatas for birthdays.

ā€œThatā€™s a dear, dear memory of just fun and happiness,ā€ he told The Associated Press as he took a break from painting a mural in Seattle. ā€œAnd I wanted to show a little bit of that and pay homage to some of those traditions.ā€

MelĆ©ndez's artwork also is influenced by the colors of homes in Mexico ā€” bright pinks and deep blues, yellows and oranges.

This marks the third consecutive year the U.S. Postal Service has issued a collection of stamps dedicated to Hispanic culture. Previous collections highlighted and Day of the Dead.

Designing the stamps was certainly a dream project for MelƩndez, who is known for his murals and design work for Starbucks. He's been a longtime fan of stamp work, having collected what he described as a ton of little bits of paper just because he likes the art.

MelƩndez hopes the new stamps will ignite conversations and encourage people to learn about other cultures. They might discover they have more in common, he said.

ā€œIn the end, I feel that there must be a connection and there must be some sort of mutual understanding,ā€ he said. "That eventually leads to better relations and more people being happy without fighting.ā€