Handmade Deer Alebrije Figurine, "Smiling Deer"

This brightly colored deer is the work of Mexican artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez, who preserve the distinctly Oaxacan folk art form of alebrijes. The figurine is carved by hand from copal wood before being carefully painted with a dizzying array of colorful motifs.

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 the nonsense word,"alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream in papier mache. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.