mexican figurines

This colorful wood figurine of an astonished monkey is an example of the traditional Mexican alebrije handicrafts, characterized by their vibrant colors and fun motifs beautifully painted by hand. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez meticulously carve copal wood by hand to create this exquisite decorative accent that will bring life and cheerfulness to your space.

Please note that the figurine's tail is removed for shipping.

Wood carvers in San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca, crafted animal figurines for generations before the area's alebrije tradition took hold, mostly as children's toys. It's the gorgeous way even real animals are decorated that shows how the Oaxacan artisans have truly embraced the handicraft style. This hand carved copal wood elephant from Jesus and Roxana Hernandez is hand painted in green, with elaborate geometric motifs on its legs and ears in black combined with lovely purple, pink, and blue tones.

It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became seriously ill and fell into a sort of coma. While he was unconscious, he had a most fantastic dream. 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 creatures repeatedly uttered the word alebrije, and when Linares woke up, he recreated these figures in vivid colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes. His work became famous and eventually influenced artisans in the state of Oaxaca who decided to craft alebrijes using traditional wood carving methods and according to that region's world vision.

Mexico City saw the beginning of a stunning art style in 1930. After a feverish dream full of extraordinary creatures, Pedro Linares started to create colorful sculptures called alebrijes. Since that day, many have continued Pedro's legacy, making superb works such as this steel wall art design by Alejandro de Esesarte.

"I was drawing an alebrije-like figure, when a little girl came to see what I was doing and joyfully shouted, 'alegrijes!' She misspelled 'alebrijes,' and we all laughed," he recalls.

"Later in the day, it hit me — the little girl didn't make a mistake. Because by changing a single letter, she gave me the new name for my line of alebrijes. They will be called alegrijes.

"Alegre' means means 'joy.' Alegrijes — the ones who bring joy." Using a colorful palette, the artisan crafts a mystic beast, featuring a feathered parrot head, human-like limbs and a fish body.