THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ALEBRIJES

While living in Oaxaca and recently revisiting our old haunts we discovered the wonderful and out-of-this world of alebrijes (pronounced as "aa-lay-bri-hays" in English) which are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of mythical creatures.

This blog posting is all about alebrijes and everything you have always wanted to know, but didn't know what to ask.  So if you are game, let's explore the magical world of alebrijes.

Although the history of this special art form is short it does not mean that it is not fascinating.  Alebrijes are whimsical carvings depicting animals, people, objects, and imaginary creatures painted with intense colors and intricate patterns. Although these distinctive creations are often assumed to represent a long established tradition of Mexican folk art they only began to appear in the 1940's.

Alebrijes are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantasy/mythical creatures. The first alebrijes, along with use of the term, originated with Pedro Linares. In the 1930s Linares fell very ill and while he was in bed and  unconscious Linares had a dream of a strange place resembling a forest.
































There he saw trees, animals, rocks, and clouds that suddenly turned into something strange. Some kind of animals, but unknown animals. He saw a donkey with butterfly wings, a rooster with bull horns, a lion with an eagle head, and all of them were shouting one word, "alebrijes." Upon recovery he began recreating the creatures he saw in cardboard and papier-mache and called them Alebrijes.

Although the creation of alebrijes originated in Mexico City artisans from other parts of Mexico soon began making their own versions. This is particularly true in Oaxaca where several artisans such as Manuel Jimenez combined the traditional carved wood crafts of the area with the ideas of Pedro Linares.

This version of the craft has since spread to a number of other towns including La Union Tejalapan and San Martín Tilcajete where it has become a major source of income for the area.

The three towns most closely associated with alebrije production in Oaxaca have produced a number of notable artisans such as Manuel Jimenez, Jacobo Angeles, Martin Sandiego, Julia Fuentes, and Miguel Sandiego.

The success of the craft, however, has unfortunately led to the depletion of the native copal trees whose wood is said to be magical.  Attempts to remedy this problem with reforestation efforts and management of wild copal trees has had limited success.

So how is an alebrije made? It all starts with a base of burnt wire that bends and molds to form the skeleton of the figure. It is then covered with several layers of newspaper and paste using cardboard to give it volume. The surface of the figure is then smoothed and covered with a layer of white base paint.


The base figure is then dried in the sun and once dry more detailed elements are added such as eyes, beaks, wings, and claws. Finally the alebrije is painted in several different colors and decorated with dots, stripes, and other patterns. By not using molds for its creation each alebrije is unique and original.

The making of alebrijes extended to other villages and today there are three main communities that specialize in the creation of carved wooden figures: San Antonino Arrazola, San Martín Tilcajete and La Union Tejalapam. It is estimated that today there are about 150 families of artisans who are fully engaged in the production of alebrijes.

In 1990 Pedro Linares received the National Science and Arts Award in celebration of his artistic career and his contributions to Mexican folk art. The artisan also made several alebrijes for Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera whose collection is today in the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City. Pedro Linares died at the age of 86, but his family continues the tradition of alebrijes to this day.

Today alebrijes are an undeniable part of the cultural and artistic imaginary of Mexico and it is a constantly evolving craft. Since 2007 the Museum of Popular Art of Mexico City has organized a parade of monumental alebrijes with the intention of promoting Mexican folk arts and culture.

In it hundreds of artisans build alebrijes up to four meters high and walk them through the historic center of the city in an event full of dance, music, and color.  All I can say is WOW!  

 

I sincerely hope you have enjoyed my introduction to the magical world of Alebrijes. And in closing I thought this image of a Oaxaca's Alebrije futbol (soccer) team player in his colorful alebrije shirt was a fitting closing image. Go team, go!

With my sincere thanks to Kevin Shaw for sharing his incredible collection and allowing me to photograph my favorite pieces for this blog posting.  Please see his web page at the following link: 
COLECTIKA ANCESTRAL CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY
Galeria Colectika Art gallery in Puerto Vallarta at the following website: https://peyotepeople.com/ Address: #858 G. Sánchez, Calle Allende esquina, Centro, 48300 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Until we meed again, wishing you well wherever your travels and adventures take you. Saludos, Laura