Alebrije - Ladybug red

2.5"x 2"x 2" Colorful Folk Art Wood Carvings from Oaxaca  Alebrijes are vivid and whimsical wooden figures handmade by artisans in Oaxaca, are one of the most prized of all the Mexican crafts. Alebrijes are typically the most colorful, the most outlandish, imaginary and fantastical of the Oaxacan carvings - the ones painted with the most detailed patterns of stripes, dots, geometric shapes, flowers and flames. Sometimes the creature will have two heads. Sometimes it could have the face of a lion and the feet of a flamingo or some other whimsy. If it lives in an artist's dreams or hallucinations, it's probably an alebrije.  While the Mexican traditions of carving and painting unique figures dates back many hundreds of years with its roots in the indigenous arts of the Zapotec. The art of the alebrijes is far more recent. Alebrijes sprung from the vivid imagination of Pedro Linares in 1936. During an illness, Linares had fever dreams featuring strange creatures which would chant at him w