Mola Art from the San Blas Islands of Panama

A traditional mola is a picture made out of cloth by the Kuna people from the San Blas Islands of Panama in Central America.  The Kuna women and girls make molas to decorate their clothes (the word mola means shirt in the Kuna language). They also sew beautiful mola artwork to sell on the world market.

A mola is made out of several layers of cloth stitched together. Holes are cut in each layer to reveal layers of colorful cloth underneath. Some molas have patches of fabric sewn into the patters.  The bottom layer is the background color and supports the stitching of all the other layers.

Kids can make a replica of a mola out of colored paper as they learn more about the Kuna people and Central America.  Begin by looking at real molas on the Internet.  Start at Google Images with a search for “San Blas mola art,” then explore links from there.  Look for web pages on the San Blas Islands of Panama, the Kuna people and their history and culture.  Find this region on a world map.

A construction paper mala. The shape of the bird is cut out of red paper and placed on top of black. Yellow and Blue shapes are glued on top to complete the design.

Simple natural or animal shapes are both traditional and satisfying for young artists. A bird, lizard, fish or turtle is a great subject, or a large tropical flower or leaf.  Sketch the shape on a piece of white paper and cut it out to make the design template.

Choose 4 sheets of construction paper…colors that go together nicely…and stack them together. Trace the template on the top sheet of colored paper.  Carefully poke through the middle of the shape and cut it out with a scissors.  It’s the outside paper that will be used in the mola, the “negative space.” Cut other shapes from different papers to finish the design.  Glue all the layers together.

MATERIALS: construction paper, scissors, glue, mola images from Internet, pencils, paint markers.

Time: 30 - 40 minutes

Internet Resource: Check out the great Mola Art Lesson using Markers and Paper on the Deep Space Sparkle blog.

KidsArt Resource: The best colored paper we’ve found is sold at the KidsArt online catalog.  Textured Color Art Paper is heavy and bright, with thick sheets, great for drawing, chalk and charcoal, and paper collage.