oaxaca folk art

Jesus and Roxana recreate the axolotl, one of Mexico's rarest and most iconic creatures, in colorful alebrije form. They hand-carve it from copal wood and decorate its body with joyful geometric patterns in a palette of saffron yellow, dark green, bright red, and purple. The axolotl's gills are detached for safe and easy transport.

Jesus and Roxana come from a Zapotec community in Oaxaca where a large number of the residents work crafting alebrijes. Jesus takes care of the carving part while Roxana works her magic creating the colorful patterns that decorate the pieces.

This delightful duo is handcrafted by Mexico's Gerardo and Teresa Ojeda in the style of Oaxacan alebrijes. Carved from copal wood, the two toucans are painted by hand with colorful paints. The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930s.

Husband and wife duo Zeny and Reyna from Oaxaca grew up with the tradition of carving alebrijes (fantastical figurines of real and imagined animals); both of their parents were master carvers in that region's traditional folk art. Here they create a wildly colorful dragon in a contorted, acrobatic pose. The dragon is carved by hand from copal wood and painted in a rainbow of psychedelic colors.

Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.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 beings 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's pre-Hispanic cultures honored their dead through celebrations and commemorations; after the arrival of the Spaniards, these cultural traditions became fused with the Catholic church's rituals and holidays, notably All Souls' Day in November which is now commonly known as the Day of the Dead. Influenced by these ancestral customs, artisans have been creating handicrafts using skull imagery for centuries. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of the Mexican state of Oaxaca present this eye-catching skull-shaped home decor piece carved by hand from copal wood. Against a yellow base color, black lines are drawn to simulate a scaly texture, then the skull is further hand decorated with patches of geometric patterns on the top and sides in red, green, and pink. The dark eye sockets and nasal cavities are outlined in blue and green. Two rows of pearly white teeth complete the colorful cranium.

Skulls are a recurrent theme in Mexican handicrafts, reflecting the convivial and familiar attitudes of the Mexican people towards death. Artisans in San Martín Tilcajete in the state of Oaxaca apply their vast wood carving knowledge to various subjects, including skulls. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of San Martín present a hand-carved copal wood skull figurine in a rich terracotta hue. The green, blue, and yellow circles containing geometric patterns on the skull's top and sides are meticulously painted by hand. Green borders surround the black eye sockets and nasal cavities while a red line separates the top row of immaculately white teeth from the bottom row.

Mexico's Day of the Dead festivities are unlike any other country's, but skulls are part of the national shared imagery and are a favorite subject for artisans all year. After this hand carved copal wood skull from Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of the Mexican state of Oaxaca is covered in navy blue paint with tiny sky blue dots, it is further decorated on the tops and sides with circles containing geometric figures and curving lines. Yellow, black, green, purple, and pink tones are utilized to hand paint the fanciful designs. Around the blackened eye sockets are outlines in yellow and red; the nasal cavity is delineated in purple. Two straight rows of white teeth give the skull a sober expression.