Scales and Dreams Mexican Handmade Copal Wood Armadillo Alebrije Figurine

From the Mexican state of Oaxaca comes a hand painted armadillo alebrije who swaps some of its scales for colorful dots and rhombuses. Presented by Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of San Martín Tilcajete, the hand carved copal wood figurine is moss green and scaly except for two middle sections of its back; these feature triangles and small and large dots in pink, green, blue, and red. The removable tail is hand painted as well in purple, green, yellow, and blue. 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.