By Shannon Jiménez—

Few examples of Mexican folk art are as instantly recognizable as alebrijes. Brilliantly colored and covered in intricate patterns, these fantastical creatures might combine the body of a jaguar with wings, horns, scales, or other features drawn entirely from the artist’s imagination.

Today, alebrijes are strongly associated with Oaxaca, where artisans carve figures from copal wood and decorate them with extraordinarily detailed designs. But the story of the alebrije actually begins hundreds of kilometers away, in Mexico City.

The Birth of the Alebrije

The original alebrijes were created in the 1930s by Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares López, a master of cartonería, the traditional craft of making figures from paper and cardboard.

According to Linares, while seriously ill he fell unconscious and dreamed of a strange forest inhabited by fantastic creatures. Some combined parts of different animals: a donkey with wings, for example, or a rooster with the horns of a bull. As the creatures appeared, they repeatedly shouted a mysterious word: “alebrije.”

When Linares recovered, he began recreating the creatures he had seen, using the paper and cardboard techniques he already knew. His brightly colored figures eventually attracted the attention of artists and collectors, including Diego Rivera, and his work became known in Mexico and abroad.

Contrary to a story sometimes repeated about the name, the word alebrije is not derived from the Spanish word alegría, meaning joy. Linares maintained that alebrije was simply the strange word he heard in his dream.

From Mexico City to Oaxaca

The wooden figures that most visitors now associate with alebrijes developed separately in Oaxaca. Woodcarving had existed in Oaxacan communities long before the alebrije appeared. Artisans traditionally carved animals, masks, toys, religious objects, and figures connected with local celebrations and everyday life.

One of the most influential Oaxacan carvers was Manuel Jiménez Ramírez, from San Antonio Arrazola, near Oaxaca City. Jiménez helped transform traditional animal carving into a distinctive artistic form, producing imaginative creatures that appealed to collectors and visitors.

Over time, the name alebrije, originally associated with Linares’ fantastical cartonería figures, began to be applied to these colorful Oaxacan woodcarvings as well. The tradition expanded particularly in communities such as San Antonio Arrazola and San Martín Tilcajete, which today are internationally known for their carved and painted figures.

How Oaxacan Alebrijes Are Made

Oaxacan alebrijes are traditionally carved from copal, a wood prized by artisans because it is relatively soft and workable when freshly cut.

The artist first studies the natural shape of a branch or piece of wood, sometimes allowing its curves and irregularities to suggest the animal that will emerge. The basic form is carved with tools such as machetes, knives, and chisels.

Separate elements—including ears, horns, wings, and tails—may be carved individually and attached later. Once carved, the wood must dry. It is then sanded and prepared for painting. Cracks that develop during drying can be filled before decoration begins.

The painting is often as impressive as the carving itself. Artists cover the figures with dots, lines, geometric forms, flowers, scales, and other elaborate patterns. Some artisans use extremely fine tools—even the thorn of a maguey—to create minute details.

Alebrije making is frequently a family enterprise, with carving and painting skills passed from one generation to another. However, the old generalization that “men carve and women paint” does not accurately describe every workshop today. Both men and women work as carvers, painters, designers, and master artisans.

Alebrijes, Tonas and Nahuales

Another popular misconception is that alebrijes are inherently ancient Zapotec spirit animals. The relationship is more complicated.

Ideas surrounding tonas and nahuales have deep roots in Indigenous cultures of Oaxaca, and contemporary artists sometimes draw upon these traditions when creating their work. Some artisans explicitly describe their figures in relation to nahuales or other spiritual concepts.

But alebrijes themselves are not an ancient pre-Hispanic art form. The term dates only to Pedro Linares and the twentieth century. The Oaxacan wooden tradition represents a fascinating meeting of older Indigenous carving practices, individual artistic innovation, tourism, the international folk-art market, and the influence of Linares’ fantastical creatures.

A Living Oaxacan Art

What began as one artisan’s fever dream in Mexico City evolved into something quite different in Oaxaca.

Oaxacan artists took an existing tradition of woodcarving and pushed it in remarkable new directions. Today, workshops continue to experiment with increasingly complex carving, painting, and design, while individual families develop styles recognizable as their own.

No two handmade pieces are exactly alike. Some resemble recognizable animals—rabbits, coyotes, jaguars, cats, armadillos—while others combine features from several creatures or spring entirely from the artist’s imagination. That individuality is part of their appeal. An alebrije can be playful, elegant, strange, whimsical, or even slightly unsettling.

And although they have become one of the most recognizable forms of contemporary Mexican folk art, their history is surprisingly recent: a Mexico City dream transformed by generations of Oaxacan hands.

Shannon Jimenez is the owner of La Vivienda Villa in Huatulco, Mexico.
http://www.lavivienda.com.mx