amazing sculpture

Mexican couple Zeny and Reyna celebrate the artistic traditions of their country, crafting an alebrije dragon from copal wood and maguey fibers. With captivating hand-painted motifs against a blue body, this sculpture is a magical addition to any home decor, bringing a little piece of Mexico in every little detail.

Meticulously painted by hand in vivid hues and a variety of patterns, this two-humped camel exemplifies the alebrije tradition of Oaxaca, Mexico. Handcrafted by Jesus and Roxana Hernandez, the decorative sculpture is made of copal wood. The Mexican artisans want to bring attention to the amazing handicrafts the wood carvers of their village are capable of producing, and Jesus recognizes that as he and Roxana carve and decorate these imaginary creatures, "...we contribute toward making our community more prosperous."

The alebrije tradition started with Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he fell into a coma due to serious illness. While he was unconscious, he dreamed 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. Upon recovering, Linares recreated these figures in bright colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes. His work became famous and was one of the main influences of artisans in the state of Oaxaca who began crafting alebrijes of their own using traditional wood carving methods.

"Alebrije! Alebrije!" shouted Pedro Linares after a feverish dream he had in 1930. From that day, Mexico City experienced an artistic phenomenon full of amazing and vibrant creatures. Named after Pedro's words, this art style is present in many places, like this steel wall sculpture by Alejandro de Esesarte.

"I was drawing an alebrije-like figure, when a little girl came to see what I was doing and joyfully shouted, 'alegrijes!' She misspelled 'alebrijes,' and we all laughed," he recalls.

"Later in the day, it hit me — the little girl didn't make a mistake. Because by changing a single letter, she gave me the new name for my line of alebrijes. They will be called alegrijes.

"Alegre' means means 'joy.' Alegrijes — the ones who bring joy." The artisan uses an intense palette to bring a fascinating creature to life: a biped dragon with a rooster head.