Hand-Painted Alebrije Chameleon, "Ocotlan Chameleon"

Mexico's Zeny and Reyna create this stunning alebrije sculpture, a popular traditional folk art of Oaxaca. The copal wood chameleon is painted with a dizzying array of motifs in a rainbow of bright colors. The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his feverish dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting the nonsense word "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.