Handmade Folk Art Armadillo Alebrije Sculpture, "Brilliant Armadillo"

Preserving an art form unique to Oaxaca, artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez craft this amazing alebrije sculpture of an armadillo. The statuette is carved by hand from copal wood and painted with myriad motifs in vibrant colors. The sculpture makes a great addition to any space. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.