page_title: San Martín Tilcajete
section_title: Alebrijes
hierarchical_section_title: San Martín Tilcajete / Alebrijes
caption_attribution_description: English: "Conejo Tostli" by Jacobo Angeles of San Martin Tilcajete at Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. See COM:CRT/Mexico#Freedom of panorama
context_page_description: San Martín Tilcajete is a town and municipality located about 23 kilometres from the city of Oaxaca, in the state of Oaxaca, in the south of Mexico.
  It is part of the Ocotlán District in the south of the Valles Centrales Region
  The municipality is small and rural with all but seven of its 1,631 residents living in the town. It is a traditional and historically Zapotec village. The Zapotec language was lost three generations ago, but the municipal government falls under the legal category of “traditional uses and customs” based on ancient community norms. The community is best known for its production of “alebrijes, ” which are wood carvings of real or fantastic creatures painted in bright colors and intricate patterns.
  An early name for the area was Zapotitlán, referring to the large number of black sapote trees that were in the area; however, these trees are rare today. The current name is derived from the Nahuatl "Tilcaxitl" which means either “black earth depression or bowl” or “mountain of cochineal ink.” The first would refer to a dark fresh water spring, which today is located between Calle de Cajete and Avenida Progreso.
context_section_description: San Martín Tilcajete is known for its wood carvings of real and fantastic animals painted with bright colors and designs. It shares this fame with San Antonio Arrazola and La Unión Tejalapan.  This is part of Oaxaca’s tradition of being one of the leading producer folk and modern art, which is displayed in shops and galleries all over the world. The making of these animals has become the major source of income for many of the families of the municipality, using carving techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. It has become the economic base for the community, with the streets lined with workshops that have been built into family homes in various parts of town. The best known are on the  main roads around the main plaza and connecting the town to the nearby highway, but many also exist on the back streets. Many will give demonstrations. For many families, the making of these figures not only provides an economic base, but helps to keep generations  together, with aspects of the productions divided among the different generations and sexes. Workshops here have had their pieces sold in shops in the city of Oaxaca, other parts of Mexico and internationally, but prices are substantially lower in the town itself.
  The brightly painted wooden figures now carry the name “alebrije” but they are a mixture of two craft traditions, one ancient and one more recent. The Zapotecs of Oaxaca have carved representations of animal from wood and other materials for centuries. Certain animals were important as totems and some were carved to use as hunting decoys.(jacabo) The carving of animals from the wood of the copal tree, native to the area, but as of at least 50 or so years ago, they were principally carved as toys for children. At the beginning of the 20th century, the focus of woodcarving was more focused on utilitarian items and masks for celebrations such as Carnival, all of which are still made.
  The creation of fantastic and fantastically colored creatures as well as the name alebrije come from the work of a Mexico City area man named Pedro Linares. According to the Linares family, Pedro fell seriously ill in the 1930s and during his fever-induced hallucinations, envisioned fantastic creatures as well as the name “alebrije.”  He was a Mixe from Central Valleys area of Oaxaca, but he created and established the creation of alebrijes using cardboard and wood in Mexico City. This original tradition continues in Mexico City with several later generations of the Linares family.
  Pedro Linares had family in Arrazola and demonstrated his designs to them during visits. One of the first to imitate these designs was Manuel Jimenez, but the designs were imitated by carving the traditional copal wood of the area. As the tradition of carving this wood had no name, the name “alebrije” began to be applied to the copal wood version. In San Martin Tilcajete, the tradition of wood carving was strong as well, but it was also rivaled by other crafts such as embroidered shirts, blouses and dresses as late as the 1960s to 1980s. Around this time, only about four families were involved full-time in the making of alebrijes, with the rest dividing their time between the making of various crafts and agriculture. In the 1980s, the popularity of alebrijes, along with other Oaxacan crafts skyrocketed and spurred the creation of workshops in Tilcajete, allowing for the development of sales and talent. During this time, the economy of the town shifted to craft making and away from agriculture and sending family members to other places to work. This shift has not only allowed more residents to stay in their hometown, it has raised living standards. Except for a short lived decline in the latter 1980s, demand for the figures has continued to grow.
  The most common figures are of real animals, such as dogs, cats, armadillos, iguanas, with more exotic animals such as giraffes, elephants, zebras and others introduced to meet client demand. Fantastic creatures, most commonly dragons and winged horses are also made.  More imaginative artists ha
caption: Rabbit figure by Jacobo Angeles at the Museum Estatal de Arte Popular in San Bartolo Coyotepec.
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