oaxaca wood

This wonderful alebrije figurine is the original creation of Mexico's Claudio Ojeda. The Oaxacan artisan carves the howling wolf by hand from cedar wood, and then paints it by hand with colorful motifs. His tail is removed during shipping for safety.

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 fevered 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 "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. The same style of painting can also be found on other (non-animal) items.

Adorned with cheerful artistry, this purple and pink snail makes its way from the magical lands of Oaxaca. "The snail symbolizes life that starts and ends in a spiral," believe Zeny and Reyna. After carving the copal wood alebrije, they use the tip of a maguey leaf to paint the florid patterns.

Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

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. 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.

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.

Taking a walk, a nocturnal little cat brings the magnificence of Mexican folk art to your home. Zeny and Reyna hand-carve this alebrije figurine of copal wood, hand-painting the black cat with vibrantly colored intricate motifs. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.