oaxaca wood

Wearing bright red lipstick, a whimsical blue cat lifts her tail in greeting. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Calo gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

This petite jewelry box from Mexico's Ana Maria Gonzalez features a traditional Oaxacan 'Maria' doll on its lid. Perfect for storing earrings or rings, the pine wood box is decorated using decoupage techniques. The hinged lid lifts to reveal 9 small compartments within.

Crafted by hand of Mexican copal wood, five loving hearts are hand-painted with intricate, colorful designs. Working in the time-honored tradition of Oaxaca's alebrije sculptures, Claudio Ojeda creates this set of petite ornaments, perfect for home decor or for hanging on the tree.

Hovering on whirring wings, a whimsical hummingbird seeks out the sweet nectar of flowers. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije painted orange, red, yellow, green, white and black. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Caló gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Includes a thread for hanging.

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of Mexico hand-paint this charming hummingbird alebrije ornament sky blue with red details on the tail and multicolor designs on the body. Hanging from a yellow ribbon, the bird is crafted from copal wood. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

The alebrije tradition started with Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he fell into a coma due to serious illness. While he was unconscious, he dreamed he was caught between the land of the living and the dead; the place looked like a forest and was populated with creatures with body parts belonging to different animals. The beings repeatedly uttered the word alebrije. Upon recovering, Linares recreated these figures in bright colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes. His work became famous and was one of the main influences of artisans in the state of Oaxaca who began crafting alebrijes of their own using traditional wood carving methods.