Meticulously painted by hand in vivid hues and a variety of patterns, this two-humped camel exemplifies the alebrije tradition of Oaxaca, Mexico. Handcrafted by Jesus and Roxana Hernandez, the decorative sculpture is made of copal wood. The Mexican artisans want to bring attention to the amazing handicrafts the wood carvers of their village are capable of producing, and Jesus recognizes that as he and Roxana carve and decorate these imaginary creatures, "...we contribute toward making our community more prosperous."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.
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