colorful tops

Rendered in the style of traditional alebrije folk art sculptures, the cover of this journal depicts a colorful jaguar with wings. On one side is the note, "Jaguar, Mexican animal at risk of extinction". The signed artwork, from Alejandra Aceves' "Everyday Stories" collection, graces a spiral-bound notebook of lined paper.

Rendered in the style of traditional alebrije folk art sculptures, the cover of this journal depicts a colorful armadillo. On one side is the note, "Armadillo, Mexican animal at risk of extinction". The signed artwork, from Alejandra Aceves' "Everyday Stories" collection, graces a spiral-bound notebook of lined paper.

The colorful plumage of a stunning species adds magic to the Australian forests, inspiring artisan Nohemi Calixto. Combining the Alebrije art style with her fascination for cockatoos, the Mexican artist handcrafts this ceramic sculpture featuring multiple details and a vibrant cerise hue. On top of that, the artwork comes with a steel base that allows it to dangle gracefully anywhere.

A rotund fish with big eyes swims sinuously in cool rivers. Colorful motifs from Zapotec art and ancient temples cover the body and fins. By Manuel Cruz, this is a beautiful example of Mexico's alebrije art. The image is carved by hand of copal wood in the style of Oaxaca and meticulously painted by hand with tiny brushes. The finer details are created using a maguey thorn instead of a brush.

The alebrije tradition originated with Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became ill and fell into a coma. While he was unconscious, he dreamed he was caught between the land of the living and the dead, a place populated with creatures whose body parts belonged to different animals. The beings repeatedly cried, "Alebrije!" When he was well, Linares recreated these fanciful figures in papier mache. His work became famous and inspired artisans in the state of Oaxaca, who began crafting alebrijes of wood.

The wood branch dictates the final form, thus size and shapes can vary slightly. Thus, each alebrije is an authentic work of Mexican folk art.

"Iguanas are creatures of the sun, so when we decorated this alebrije we thought of the sun welcoming the rainbow," confide Zeny and Reyna. Carved from a single piece of copal wood, the sculpture is painted by hand using the tip of a maguey leaf.