Artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of Mexico handcraft this charming coyote .alebrije. figurine. Painted in colorful shades such as cerulean and light olive, the copal wood coyote takes a howling pose. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage...The .alebrije. tradition started with Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he fell into a coma due to serious illness. While he was unconscious, he dreamed he was caught between the land of the living and the dead; the place looked like a forest and was populated with creatures with body parts belonging to different animals. The beings repeatedly uttered the word .alebrije.. Upon recovering, Linares recreated these figures in bright colors using papier mache techniques and called them .alebrijes.. His work became famous and was one of the main influences of artisans in the state of Oaxaca who began crafting .alebrijes. of their own using traditional wood carving methods.
