Colorful Mexican Folk Art
Bienvenidos! Welcome to the wonderful world of Oaxacan wood carvings, also known as "Alebrijes".
Alebrijes are vibrantly colored handmade wood figures representing a wide variety of animals and other fantastical creatures.
The current style was popularized in the 1960s by artist Manuel Jimenez, who took a simple local carving tradition and transformed it into an internationally appealing art form.
These highly collectible figures and are often found in southwestern American shops or folk artisan bazaars. I hope you will enjoy exploring the unique variety of beautiful examples out there.
What Are "Alebrijes"?
Here is some information from Wikipedia to get you familiarized with the subject.
An alebrije () is a brightly-colored
Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical animal-like creatures. While Pedro Linares
first used the term to describe his papier mache creations, it is now commonly
used in reference to the Oaxacan woodcarvings popularized by Manuel Jimenez.
Collecting Alebrijes
The figures range in size from about 2" tall to almost 2 FEET tall.
There is no shortage of varieties to choose from, and no set rule on which type of animal or figure you should collect. Select what appeals most to you. As your collection grows, you may want to consider doing further research by selecting specialized books on the topic.
The most important thing is that you truly ENJOY your collection of these beautiful creations!
Armadillos Are Popular Choices
Oaxacan Carving of an Armadillo by the Ortocha Family
Amazon Price: $25.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of an Armadillo by the Ortocha Family, Mini
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of an Armadillo by Melchor Calvo
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Cat...and Mouse
The figures shown are also available in other colors and paint patterns. Click on the image to view more options.
Snakes and Insects
Oaxacan carving of a Coiled Snake by the Torres-Ortiz Family
Amazon Price: $26.49 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Butterfly by the Ortocha Family, Mini
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Ladybug by Leandro Vasquez, Mini
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Grasshopper by Sergio Santiago
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Scorpion by the Torres-Ortiz Family
Amazon Price: $20.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Fish and Marine Life
Desert Mammals
Oaxacan Carving of a Rabbit with Carrot by Jesus Hernandez
Amazon Price: $24.49 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Wood Carving of a Coyote by Melchor Calvo
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Porcupine by the Ortocha Family
Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Rabbit by the Ortocha Family, Mini
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Frogs and Land Turtles
Oaxacan Carving of a Reading Frog by the Ortocha Family
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Oaxacan Carving of a Frog by Delfino Guitterez
Amazon Price: $18.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Oaxacan Carving of a Frog by the Ortocha Family
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Oaxacan Carving of a Land Turtle by the Ortocha Family, Mini
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Out of This World!
Birds
Oaxacan Carving of a Rooster by the Torres-Ortiz Family
Amazon Price: $32.49 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Roadrunner by the Blas Family, 15"
Amazon Price: $109.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of an XL Peacock by Tribu Mixe, 17"
Amazon Price: $189.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Toucan by Leandro Vasquez
Amazon Price: $18.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Oaxacan Carving of a Toucan by the Torres-Ortiz Family
Amazon Price: $18.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Most Popular Alebrije?
according to amazon.com
You guessed it... THE PINK FLAMINGO!
An Audio~Visual Alebrije Feature
Alebrijes
Catalogo de alebrijes artista arturo caballero Arte popular mexicano
Runtime: 5:43 | 3190 views | 8 Comments
Find Out More
Like this Lens? You may also like:
My related lens on the Mexican folk art of Talavera pottery.-
Talavera Pottery
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I love the bright colors and free-form designs featured on this traditional artform from Mexico, and would like to share my passion for it with you. Talavera is a type of Mexican pottery produced in the cities of Puebla, Mexico, and Dolores Hidalgo,...
About Oaxaca
Oaxaca is the district in Mexico from where this colorful unique folk art form originates.
Oaxaca , in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/, named for its largest city, is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of the country, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Oaxaca borders the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east, and the Pacific Ocean in the south.
Oaxaca, the historic home of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, contains more speakers of indigenous languages than any other Mexican state.
With an area of 36,820.2 km² (95,364 mi.²), Oaxaca is the fifth largest state in the Republic. According to the 2005 census it had a population of 3,506,821 people.
Notable Oaxacans include President Benito Juárez, born in the Oaxacan village of San Pablo Guelatao, as well as Rufino Tamayo, Porfirio Diaz, José Vasconcelos, Francisco Toledo, María Sabina, J. Alberto Canseco Díaz, Major League Baseball player Vinicio Castilla, chemical engineer Marco Rito-Palomares and many other writers, artists and politicians.
Planning a Mexican Getaway?
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beeobrien
These are delightful. I love the whimsy. Nice lens too. Posted May 09, 2008 |
