collectible sculptures

These smiling turtles are certain to charm the most avid collector. "Turtles are my one of my favorite animals, so I enjoyed crafting these figurines and painting them in different colors to make each one unique," confides Pedro Apop. The Guatemalan artisan crafts each ceramic figurine by hand and decorates them by painting their shells with lavish flowers.

This adorable key fob is hand crafted by Claudio Ojeda in Mexico. The panda alebrije is carved from copal wood and painted in black and white and myriad patterns and shapes in pink and purple. The wood figurine adorns a stainless steel key ring. The artisan signs his pieces with the initials "T.C.", which represent his initial "C" preceded by his mother Teresita's initial "T". Claudio learned the art of crafting alebrijes from his mother.

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 shouted "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 perfect home accessory for offering a cerebral challenge, this mini chess set from Mexico is presented by the Sierra Family. The artisans work with marble, diligently hand-carving each tile and chess piece to display natural hues of black and pink. The chess set's petite size makes it the perfect home accessory for any space.

The perfect home accessory for offering a cerebral challenge, this petite chess set from Mexico is presented by the Sierra Family. The artisans work with marble, diligently hand-carving each tile and chess piece to display natural hues of black and pink.

Regal, beautiful and mystical, the butterfly is thought to symbolize the soul. Mexican artisan Alejandro de Esesarte, a lifelong butterfly collector, crafts this indoor/outdoor wall art from steel that he paints by hand in bright colors. These winged pollinators are ready to make the migration north to brighten up your patio.

The perfect home accessory for offering a cerebral challenge, this mini chess set from Mexico is presented by the Sierra Family. The artisans work with marble, diligently hand-carving each tile and chess piece to display natural hues of grey and pink. The chess set's petite size makes it the perfect home accessory for any space.

The perfect home accessory for offering a cerebral challenge, this mini chess set from Mexico is presented by the Sierra Family. The artisans work with onyx and marble, diligently hand-carving each tile and chess piece to display natural hues of pink and ivory. The chess set's petite size makes it the perfect home accessory for any space.