Oaxacan Woodcarvings
Hand-carved and hand-painted, Oaxacan carvings are the most sought-after folk art in Mexico. With their brilliant colors and fine craftsmanship, Oaxacan carvings are a captivating product of talent, imagination and flair.
Children fancy their cheerful features, while collectors prize their one-of-a-kind originality. For travelers to Mexico, they make irresistible souvenirs. For followers of the “Buy Handmade” movement, they are a prime catch.
These inspiring and cheerful sculptures are made in Mexico’s southern heartland state of Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HAH-kah). The carving tradition here goes back 50 years. The artists are proud descendants of the pre-Columbian Zapotec culture. They make their carvings from the twisted branches of the copalillo tree, which grows on the hills around the valley. The wood is lightweight, easily workable, and sands to a smooth finish. The carvers do the initial chopping with machetes, then they finish the finer sculpting with pocketknives. It is often a family effort -– children help with sanding, while wives may paint the vivid and detailed patterns. The carvers’ inspirations come from their dreams, their farmyard animals, from the brilliant colors of their fiestas, even the wildflowers that grow in the desert. Each artist’s outlook and personality is reflected in the graceful contours and brilliant colors of his work.
Oaxacan woodcarvings represent the best of Mexico’s renowned, “made-by-hand” artistic tradition. View our website galleries to see carvings by many artists, and examples of other fine Mexican folk art.