Catrina Alebrije – Zapotec Tehuana – Native Carving Signed by Aucensio Medina

The women of the Istmo de Tehuantepec are some of the most fascinating, talented, and empowered women in the world. The Tehuana are part of a more or less matriarchal society in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico. The women here are known for their elaborate embroidery techniques, and their huge starched white lace headdress called the Huipil Grande or the “resplendor” worn during traditional ceremonies. The women of the Isthmus are usually in control of the money for the household, giving them much more power and equality, bringing them to be equal partners with men if they choose to marry. The culture was so beloved by Frida Kahlo that she adopted their dress and even painted herself multiple times wearing the Tehuana traje.

You can learn more about the Tehuana or traditional Mexican dress

This piece was hand-carved from willow wood and hand-painted. The artist is Ezequiel Aucensio Medina Solís, and he is a master alebrije artisan in San Pedro Ixtlahuaca in the Central Valley region of Oaxaca. We have other photos of this beautiful Tehuana that were taken during the various stages of construction, and would be happy to share those with you if desired.

One of the important traditions in Oaxacan art is the alebrije. They resonated deeply with Zapotec and Mixtec artisans who began to bring to life amazingly vibrant animal hybrids and scenes. The art form took such a firm hold in Oaxaca that it’s hard to tell that it hasn’t always been a part of it. Alebrijes can be made of paper or cardboard, but are most commonly made of copal wood. We have been blessed to meet a few extremely talented artisans dotted around the Oaxacan valley. We work directly with them to allow them to gain the highest possible price for their work, and to give us a chance to commission pieces. We want you to know that we strongly believe in a fair and living wage for these amazing artists. We never haggle price. This means sometimes we miss out on amazing pieces that we cannot afford, but we can sleep at night knowing that we aren’t asking artists to put weeks and months into pieces that don’t produce weeks and months worth of wage for them.