Tag Archives: Oaxacan Art

Huatulco

Alebrije

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By Julie Etra—

This whimsical and intricately painted form of wood sculpture is unique to the state of Oaxaca, and more precisely to the Valley of Oaxaca, where it originated. Primarily animals, the fantastical objects can include hummingbirds, coyotes, jaguars, unicorns, rabbits, raccoons, dinosaurs—well, you name it.

Origins

Last winter, while in Oaxaca City, I had the dumb luck to stumble upon a special, temporary exhibit of alebrijes at the museum in the Church of Santo Domingo.

The art form’s origin is relatively recent. In Mexico City in 1936, artisan Pedro Linares developed a high fever and accompanying nightmares that included imaginary animal-like monsters shouting the word “alebrijes.” Upon awakening and recovering, he recalled the creatures from his dreams and began creating them using cardboard and paper (aka papier-mâché, or a version thereof).

Manuel Jiménez Ramírez took the original concept of the cardboard figures created by Linares and transformed it using wood from copal trees native to the region. Jiménez Ramírez, an Oaxaqueño, was from San Antonio Arrazola, a community on the outskirts of Oaxaca City.

The original location of Jiménez Ramírez’s workshop is still active and run by his family successors, with the men primarily preparing the wood and doing the heavier work of sculpting, and the women pursuing the painstaking, patient and detailed work of painting the figures.

Lucky me, I was the only visitor on a sunny Saturday in February 2026 and received a very personal tour of the family facility, complete with a pictorial history, workshop, gallery, cats and dogs, various family members, and a garden where I had a chance to ask one of Jiménez Ramírez’s sons a few questions.

The Wood

The wood is soft and malleable and comes from trees in the genus Bursera (commonly known as copal). This group of trees is common in the tropical dry forests of coastal Oaxaca and produces fruit on which a variety of birds and mammals feed.

There are more than 100 species distributed throughout the Americas, with many found in Mexico, particularly in the states of Guerrero, Michoacán and Oaxaca. I have identified five species in our area, but the botanical inventory Flora de la Costa de Oaxaca, México: Lista Florística de la Región de Zimatán lists 11.

These trees are common in our forests, with one recognizable species being Bursera fagaroides, known locally by various common names and recognizable by its peeling bark.

The Jiménez Ramírez family explained that not all species of Bursera are suitable for carving and that Bursera tecomaca is one they prefer. After a little research, I found that copal resin, rather than the wood itself, also has uses as a preservative and is commonly burned as incense.

Other species of Bursera used for sculpting include:
Bursera glabrifolia: Commonly called copalillo, this is a preferred wood due to its softness and lightness.
Bursera bipinnata: This species is known as copal santo or copal blanco.
Bursera copallifera: This species is commonly known as copal ancho.

Jiménez Ramírez also worked with other woods, including zompantle (aka colorín, Erythrina coralloides), palo de águila and cedar. The first two were collected locally, while he purchased the latter from vendors in Valle Nacional and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Regulation

As one of Jiménez Ramírez’s sons explained to me, artisans and communities play a role in managing the supply of wood to avoid overexploiting the resource. Wood may be sourced from local forests, communal lands or private initiatives.

There are also independent reforestation projects. Faced with the risk of overharvesting and shortages due to high demand, communities such as San Martín Tilcajete have launched conservation projects, including Palo que Habla (Sticks That Talk), to cultivate copal trees, primarily copalillo.

There have also been efforts to protect the identity and origin of Oaxacan alebrije handicrafts. Such protections, however, are distinct from the rules governing the harvesting and sale of wood.

Given the variation in figures available at tourist destinations, I don’t know how consistently these protections are enforced.

Jiménez Ramírez obtained his wood from vendors in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Valle Nacional, as well as locally.

Creating the Figures

Tools used for carving the green wood are typically quite basic, consisting of knives and machetes. Wood is selected for its shape and its correspondence to the animal or figure being created, which often includes delicate appendages such as ears, spines and tails. These are inserted or pegged into the main body of the sculpture and can be conveniently removed for transport.

Commercial enamel paints were initially used, but these days, once the piece has dried and hardened, a coat of white base paint is often applied to enhance the brilliance of acrylic or vinyl paints. Tiny dots, lines, symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns, and even fibers sometimes adorn the sculptures.

Where to Shop

Since the early days, dozens of sculptors have continued developing the art form, with varying degrees of complexity.

I am told that very elaborate (and expensive) pieces can be found in San Martín Tilcajete, south of Oaxaca City, where there are workshops and galleries. Street vendors generally offer simpler carvings and a seemingly endless supply of hummingbirds.

Several stores in Huatulco offer high-quality pieces if you want to shop locally, as do shops in Oaxaca City.

The small but lovely Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca in Santa María Coyotepec, south of Oaxaca City, also had some excellent pieces in its museum store. It is worth a visit.

Since I have not been to San Martín Tilcajete, I can’t compare it with San Antonio Arrazola, which I thoroughly enjoyed and where I purchased an outstanding sitting coyote.

Julie Etra is a vegetation restoration
specialist and botanist.

San Miguel de Allende

Alebrijes: From a Fever Dream to a Oaxacan Art Form

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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