Catrina Alebrije – Zapotec Skeleton Woman – Native Carving from Aucensio Medina

The catrina is a time-honored tradition in Mexico, especially Oaxaca, where they are set out during Dia de Los Muertos to honor or represent beloved friends and family members who have passed away.

This beautiful catrina in her traditional dress, bedecked with flowers and jewelry, and a big grin would be a touching tribute or a beautiful addition to year-round home decor. She’s so elegant and lithe that she seems to be gliding toward you, head held proudly raised.

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 Catrina 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.