Wood Alebrije Figurine Cat in Green from Mexico, "Cat Stretch"

Stretching out its body, this cute cat adds a touch of Mexican folk art to any space. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez hand-carve the little alebrije from copal wood. It features intricate hand-painted designs in tones of green and blue. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.