The Alebrijes jaguar carvings are a good example of the intricately carved sculptures made from the copal tree by native Oaxaqueño craftsmen of Oaxaca. The magical figures combine features of real and mythical animals and are inspired by dreams and folklore ... these pieces are painstakingly hand-sanded and hand-painted in bright native colors with paints created from natural dyes. The exciting motifs and wood carving techniques and artistic capacity of the Oaxacans is legendary, honed over hundreds of generations. The jaguar carvings come from a village in the mountains of Oaxaca and are signed by the artists; they are highly collectible pieces ...

The folklore behind the name 'Alebrijes' tells that they were created by a Mexican Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca, Pedro Linares, who had a dream while he was ill ... he saw visions of one animal mixed with parts of another. They were making sounds that he could not understand, but he could recognize one word: 'Alebrije', a Spanish word meaning 'imaginary' or 'fantasy'.

When he recovered, he took a piece of native copal wood and carved the animals that he saw in his dream. Some of his pieces can be seen on display at the Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City.

There are many unique carvings available, with many different themes - these are just a few of the exceptional pieces we have uncovered, deep in the mountains of Oaxaca.

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