oaxaca arts and crafts

Mexico's alebrije tradition inspires this gift box with the whimsical creatures. It began in 1936 in Mexico City when Pedro Linares became ill and fell into a coma. He dreamed he was caught between the land of the living and the dead in a forest-like place, populated with fantastical hybrid creatures. They repeatedly cried alebrije! After recovering, the artisan recreated these figures in bright papier mache and called them alebrijes. Today, artisans in the state of Oaxaca carve copal wood alebrijes, beautifully painted by hand.

A Oaxacan alebrije sculpture takes centre stage with its brilliant colours and intricate motifs. A set of ten alebrije colouring cards invites your own creativity, and a box of colouring pencils of recycled paper completes the set for hours of artistic fun.

"Feeling proud of my Mexican roots and wishing to raise consciousness regarding Mexico's beautiful endemic animals in danger of extinction, I designed this series of 10 coloring postcards. They are inspired by the multicolored alebrije sculptures of Oaxaca representing magical and fantastical creatures with wings and antennae," explains Alejandra Aceves. This set of postcards includes: a grey wolf, a West Indian manatee, an axolotl fish (Mexican salamander), a red macaw, an armadillo, a tapir, a loggerhead turtle, a pronghorn, a jaguar, and a California Gulf porpoise.

The set of 10 postcards arrives in an acrylic box with information about Aceves' project. Inspired by the illness she lives with, she realized that the symptoms diminished when she concentrated on drawing. Her wish is for others to enjoy being able to relax while coloring her postcards.