Amezkua’s fascination with repurposed materials is mirrored across her multidisciplinary work, which ranges from embroidered tortilla towels to efficiency art. Beginning in the 1500s, he said, “Spanish missionaries turned deeply conversant in pre-Columbian traditions in an effort to combat them and convert native populations,” and practices similar to amate production were discouraged or even banned. The Spanish also began importing papel china — skinny, tissue-like paper from China, typically used to wrap other items. On a summer time day in 2018, Blanka Amezkua arrived in San Salvador Huixcolotla. The southeastern Mexican city is best generally identified as the birthplace of…