Oaxacan Woodcarvings
Colorful, Whimsical & Unique!
Hand-carved and hand-painted, Oaxacan woodcarvings are one-of-a-kind. Collectors prize them. Children love their brilliant colors. Everyone is captivated by the carvers' originality and flair.
These inspiring and cheerful sculptures are made Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca, some 300 miles southeast of Mexico City. The carving tradition goes back 50 years, but in the last 20, Oaxacan woodcarvings have become the most sought-after folk art in Mexico. The artists are descendants of the fabled Zapotec Indians. Today, most of these carvers live in three small villages in the valley outside of Oaxaca City. Arrazola, perhaps the most renowned, lies in the shadow of Monte Alban. That's the mountaintop, ancient Zapotec holy city whose majestic ruins overlook the valley. The other carving villages are San Martin Tilcajete
and La Union Tejalapan, both an hour's journey away.
The artists 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 pocket knives. It is often a family effort -- children help with the sanding, while wives may paint the delicate and vivid patterns.
Oaxacan artists are endlessly creative. Iinspiration comes from their dreams, their farmyard animals, from the brilliant colors of their fiestas and fireworks, even from wildflowers that grow in the desert. Sometimes it comes from their wild dreams, too! The unique personality of each carver is reflrected in the graceful contours and brilliant colors of his or her work.
Cheerful, collectible and signed by the artist, Oaxacan carvings are the best of Mexico's "made-by-hand artistic tradition.