Jacobo and María Ángeles are married artists living in San Martín Tilcajete in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is a taller (workshop) that I have often taken my groups to.
Created by the workshop of the Ángeles',
these brightly colored and intricately painted sculptures adorn the grounds of the Denver Botanic Gardens. These animals are inspired by the Zapotec calendar, also known as Spirit Guides. Unlike the animals carved from the native Copal wood in their taller, these are made of fiberglass and painted with acrylics.
Jaguar - Eagle
Coyote ~ Fish
Rabbit ~ Deer
Deer ~ Butterfly
Monkey ~ Lizard
More water lilies. Such vibrant colors.
Back in Oaxaca, photos taken on one of my tours. These wooden carved figures are called Alebrijes.
The first alebrijes originated in Mexico City, originally created by artist Pedro Linares in the 1940's who created Cartoneria or papier-mâché sculptures. The papier-mâché-to-wood carving adaptation was pioneered by Arrazola native Manuel Jimenez whom I was fortunate to visit with when traveling with my parents years and years ago. This version of the craft has since spread to several other towns in Oaxaca, most notably San Martín Tilcajete and La Unión Tejalapan, and has become a significant source of income for the area, especially for San Martín.
To really grasp the talent and creativity that goes into each of these animals, one really should visit one of the many tallers in San Martín Tilcajete, a place where I am taking another group to in March of 2025.
Fiestas are prominent in Oaxaca and an expression of their imagination. As an Oaxacan saying goes, "We are Catholic by day and Zapotec by night." How true in their depiction of the alebrijes.
