Alebrijes Nativity

“The term Alebrijes was coined by Pedro Linares (1906–1992). In the 1930s, while Linares was sick in bed with a high fever, he dreamed about fantastic creatures such as a donkey with butterfly wings and a lion with an eagle’s head. In his dream, each animal was shouting the word “Alebrijes!” Once recovered from his illness, Linares began making the creatures from cardboard and papier-mâché and selling them. Eventually his work caught the attention of the Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, who commissioned him to make more. Alebrijes carvings, now internationally known, are the bestselling Mexican folk art in the United States.

Artisans of the Oaxaca valley, where there is a long tradition of wood carving, make Alebrijes figures using the wood of the local copal tree. This wood is believed by some to possess magical properties. Men do the carving and women do the painting. The craft has become an important source of income for several towns, including San Martín Tilcajete. Some of the carvings are mythical creatures with roots in pre-Christian religious beliefs. The animals in this Nativity represent the traditional ox and donkey familiar from European Nativity scenes, but have been carved and painted in the style of the fantastic Alebrijes creatures.” (Ed and Kirsten Gyllenhaal, label text, “World Nativities 2020”)