oaxaca wood

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.

No matter what the song says, this lion cannot sleep until he gets a good home. He is an alebrije, an animal carving painted in bright colors and wild designs. The big jungle cat is created and signed by artists Gerardo and Teresa Ojeda of Oaxaca, Mexico. The tail detaches for safe shipping.

"Look what I caught!" this cat seems to say. The playful feline is sculpted from copal wood, the classic for alebrije figures which are famous in the Central Valleys of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. This kitty with bristling natural fiber whiskers is the work of Gerardo and Teresa Ojeda, noted carvers in the region.

This dancing frog, in purple, pink, violet and lilac, captivates with the vibrancy of Mexican artistry. Zeny and Reyna transform a branch of the copal tree into the whimsical creature and paint it by hand in the style of Oaxaca's alebrije sculptures.

Crafted in the folk art style of Oaxacan alebrijes, these ornaments are a colorful addition to a holiday tree. Mexican artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez craft the four ornaments from copal wood, painting them carefully by hand. The ornaments arrive ready to hang from golden ribbons.

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.

Painted in stunning shades of deep lavender and honey gold, this alebrijereflects the vibrant culture of Mexico. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez craft the iguana from copal wood and decorate it with detailed designs.

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.