Artisan Crafted Wood Alebrije Armadillo Sculpture, "Walking Armadillo"
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Walking along, a charming armadillo is carved from copal wood and painted by hand with intricate and colorful motifs inspired by the pre-Hispanic Nahua peoples. Mexican artisan Teresita Gonzalez creates this traditional alebrije sculpture. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.
It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City papier mache 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.
- 0.14 kgs
- 0.3 lbs
- 7.5 cm H x 20.6 cm W x 7.3 cm D
- 3" H x 8" W x 2.9" D
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"...the doctor diagnosed me with cancerous sarcoma... but I'd look at my son and I knew my work in life wasn't finished. I began painting as a form of therapy."
Latest Update"My journey in Mexican handicrafts began when I started working with copal wood as a way of therapy to relieve my cancer. I... read more