Alebrije sculptures are derived from the ancient Zapotec indigenous culture and are made from Copa wood, which can be found in the forests surrounding the village of San Martin Tilcajete where Vicente has his home and workshop. Many times the inspiration for an Alebrije creation comes from the Copa wood itself, what shapes it appears and what Vicente sees from the wood determines how he will carve and design his Alebrijes. All the work to create the Alebrijes is done by hand. The Alebrijes are hand-carved with machetes; then sanded and smoothed; left to dry and harden for up to 2 months; and finally hand painted in multiple coats to provide the most vivid colors, intricate details, and exotic patterns. Most Alebrijes are made from more than one piece of wood and are assembled by hand, each piece being specifically carved and painted to create these magnificient creatures. The entire process to create a unique Alebrije sculpture from a branch of Copa wood can take anywhere from 2 - 4 months, depending on the complexity of the design. Watch this video to see artist Vicente Hernandez demonstrate how he carves traditional Zapotec Alebrije sculptures. Vicente has been working in the family trade of creating Alebrijes for over 20 years. He originally began as a young boy helping gather the Copa wood and helping his father and grandfather come up with creative designs for the Alebrijes. Then when Vicente was old enough to work with the machete without risk of serious injury, he too began carving the Alebrijes. He learned his craft and techniques from his grandfather and now works with his sister, Martha Hernāndez, to design and create these fantastically funky and beautiful sculptures. Martha Hernāndez does most of the hand painting and designing of the colorful patterns of the Alebrijes while Vicente does the carving and deciding the shape and figure of the Alebrije. The Hernāndez family is of the Zapotec indigenous culture and is very proud of their cultural heritage. Alebrijes were originally created as part of the Zapotec culture to ward off evil spirits and protect children from nightmares. Today, the Alebrijes continue to represent traditional Zapotec images like drinking or dancing skeletons representing the Zapotec cult of the dead, or the jaguar representing the Zapotec's myth of origin, but also Alebrijes can represent contemporary images and those specific to the artist's inspiration. KWABLA welcomes you to experience a bit of the Zapotec spirit through the art of the Alebrijes. To view a catalogue of Vicente Hernāndez's Alebrijes, click on the link below. |
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| Catalogue of Alebrijes Created by Vicente Hernāndez Vasquez | |
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