cool gifts from mexico

Lovely vines with curling tendrils reach toward one another in a metaphor for love. Painted by hand, they caress a heart pendant in a romantic necklace design. Edith Orozco combines beige and black, protecting the pendant with a coat of lacquer and presenting it on black cords that are adjustable in length.

Curling tendrils flourish, suggesting a tender love that grows each day. Framed in ruffles, this papier mache pendant combines beige and black in a necklace for the romantic. The shining heart is protected by a coat of lacquer and centers black cords that are adjustable in length.

This delightful folk art pendant necklace is handmade by Mexico's Edith Orozco. The artisan molds the winged heart pendant from paper pulp before sanding it smooth and painting it carefully by hand. The pendant centers an adjustable black polyester cord.

With its casual style and lavish floral embroidery, the Oaxaca dress was a favorite with surfers in the 1960s and later with hippies in the 1970s. It is equally lovely and comfortable today. Textile artists from Sierra Embroidery embroider the motifs by hand on cool black cotton. The sleeveless cotton shift slips over the head.

Carved of copal wood, a watchful fox is depicted in this charming alebrije figurine. Mexican duo Zeny and Reyna design this figurine, which is hand-painted with metallic motifs over its stark black body. 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.

Festive colors find a maximum contrast on black, in bright face masks from Mexico. Designed by Eduardo and Manuel, the pair is crafted of cambaya cloth, traditionally woven by hand in Michoacan. The word "Mexico" and geometric motifs are machine embroidered in this modern version of the fabric. Contoured for comfort, the masks are lined in white cotton muslin, are reusable and washable, with elastic to loop over the ears.

Placement of the motifs can vary but the fabric will be the same.