True Collectors' Items

August, 2012. We are traveling in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, in search of fine artisan crafts for Chiripa.

In the world of Mexican indigenous crafts, Jacobo and María Angeles are rock stars. In their colorful workshop, on a dirt-and-cobble lane in the far corner of the small Zapotec village of San Martín Tilcajete, they carve and paint the most beautiful alebrijes on the planet. Jacobo and María were born in the village, and have known each other since they were children. Jacobo learned wood carving from his father, who died when Jacobo was just 12 years old.

Jacobo and Maria Angeles

In the hands of Jacobo and Maria (and their small group of artists), alebrijes are not just carved and painted wooden animals. They are not just common craft objects, or figures slavishly copied from nature. The figures live in a spirit world, at once whimsical and real. They seem to have their own hidden thoughts. They have a timeless quality, at once ancient and stunningly modern. They are elegant and mysterious, and they draw you in. 

Dog alebrije

Skilled hands carve the figures from copal wood. The figures are then carefully dried, and painted with colors made from natural local materials. The artists use fine-tipped brushes to execute minutely detailed, traditional Zapotec patterns. Everything is done with painstaking care and patience, under the exacting eyes of Jacobo and Maria. A single piece takes months to create (one specially-commissioned 4-ft. coyote took over two years!). These works of art come in a variety of sizes, and are sought by knowledgeable collectors throughout the world. 

Carver at Work

During our recent visit, María Angeles told us that they can easily sell every piece they make, and that they are having trouble keeping up with a worldwide demand. We were nevertheless able to obtain some brilliant pieces for Chiripa, because we have known Jacobo and Maria for years. Come to Chiripa and see these collectors’ items for yourself!       - JM

Painter with Skunk Alebrije

Fine Food and Fantastic Crafts

From the log kept by JM on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip.

March 2, 2010.  This morning we traveled south to the villages of San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martin Tilcajete, and Ocotlan. We picked up a good selection of Oaxacan black pottery at the Dona Rosa workshop in San Bartolo, where Dona Rosa's son still presides. 

Dona Rosa was, of course, the woman who discovered the technique for making the famous shiny black pottery (you can find it at Chiripa) and a piece or two online.

In Ocotlan, we stopped at the tiny home workshop of the famous Guillermina Aguilar, where we picked out as many clay figures as we could carry. 

But the main event was in San Martin Tilcajete, where we met Jacobo and Maria Angeles for breakfast at their restaurant, Azucena Zapoteca (Zapotec Lily). The day was already hot, but there was a cool breeze under the veranda. Jacobo and Maria offered us a spectacular array of traditional Zapotec and Mexican dishes. The food was fabulous, and the presentation reflected Maria's artistic touch (Rick Bayless take note!).

 The restaurant, magical as it was, was just a prelude to the workshop. Jacobo and Maria are among the most highly regarded artisans in all of Mexico producing exquisitely carved and painted alebrijes that are in great demand by collectors throughout the world.

Jacobo and Maria with a lion in progress March 2010.

The carved wooden animals have an uncanny lifelike but abstract quality, and the painting--well, you must see it to believe it: elegant designs are executed in unbelievably minute and precise detail, using traditional Zapotec motifs and stunning natural colors. The colors are from natural ingredients grown in the Oaxacan countryside. You can see some beautiful examples at Chiripa. 

We also hope to bring Jacobo to Madison in October, so you can meet this great artist (and wonderful human being) in person.

Home Again

Those following this blog will have noted that I did not post anything while on the Chiripa buying trip to Mexico. We set an almost impossible schedule with little time to find and use a computer.

Future posts will lead you through some of the highlights of the trip. But, because it is still tourist season in southern Mexico I wanted to promote a favorite artist and a favorite restaurant.

Maria and Jacobo with their new Chiripa caps!

Jacobo and Maria Angeles of San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico create stunning alebrijes and run one of the finest workshops in Oaxaca. And we will write more about it in a future post. But, who would have guessed that their restaurant (at the junction of the main highway and the road that leads into San Martin) offers some of the finest food we've tasted in Mexico.

Azucena Zapoteca
Cocina Tradicional Oaxaquena
Carretera Pro. Angel Km. 23.5
San Martin Tilcajete
Ocotlan, Oaxaca
Tel. 52 49 227 / 52 49 228
email: angeles@tilcajete.org

DON'T PASS BY. STOP, EAT, ENJOY.

This was one dish that included a delicious mole and that amazing stringy Oaxacan cheese. What a treat!

Next to the restaurant you'll find a gift shop with a wonderful sampling of Mexican artisan crafts. You may also get to watch some of the master painters working on their alebrijes.

And in the near future you'll be able to see some of their fine pieces at CHIRIPA.