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Hand Crafted Folk Art Iguana Alebrije Sculpture from Mexico, 'Blue Iguana'

Product ID: U66370

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Hand Crafted Folk Art Iguana Alebrije Sculpture from Mexico, 'Blue Iguana'

Delivery Estimate

This item is available for pre-order and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Available in 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Details

Preserving an art form unique to Oaxaca, artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez craft this amazing alebrije sculpture of an iguana. The sculpture is carved by hand from copal wood and painted with myriad motifs in vibrant blues and warm browns. The sculpture makes a great addition to any space.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.

Made in Mexico

  • Copal wood
  • Signed by the artist
  • Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
  • Free Gift Wrap? Yes
  • Premium Gift Wrap? No
  • 60 grams
  • 0.1 lbs
  • 5 cm H x 15 cm W x 21 cm D
  • 2" H x 6" W x 8.25" D
View in metric units View in US/English units

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Jesus and Roxana Hernandez

Meet the Artist

Artfully crafted by Jesus and Roxana Hernandez from Mexico.

 

Meet the Artist

Jesus and Roxana Hernandez

Jesus and Roxana Hernandez

"We believe that 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.' So we take on the challenge of creating innovative designs, and we experiment with different materials, some more complex than others."

Latest update “We have dedicated ourselves to this activity since we got married and formed our workshop 22 years ago.... Latest update

“We have dedicated ourselves to this activity since we got married and formed our workshop 22 years ago. We joined Novica in 2016, at an event in Tlaquepaque where they learned about our work.

“We learned to improve our quality, to be more demanding with our finishes, to improve our production processes and to be much more innovative. In addition, financially we have managed to have constant sales and a considerable increase in our production. There have been difficult times such as the months of the pandemic, for example, in which we have managed to get ahead. On that occasion, it was vitally important for us to maintain production and the work team. We were afraid that we would not be able to achieve it, but thanks to our sales on Novica, production was not reduced and therefore our work team did not see their salary affected.

“Thanks to Novica, we currently have a steady and secure income. We also have access to interest-free loans and payment facilities. We are proud of all the learning we have obtained since we joined Novica. Thanks to this, we can now share our experience with other fellow craftsmen, motivate them to increase the models that come to Novica, and share our experience with them to motivate them to grow and have good results, having the success that we have achieved.

“The microcredits have been very good because they help us grow and improve our workshop or grow our production plant. We are very happy to belong to the Novica family, a world-class company where we feel supported and valued.”

Original Artist Story

Jesus and Roxana Hernandez come from a Zapotec community in Oaxaca. "In our village, most of the men and women are wood-carvers and we specialize in Mexico's traditional alebrije sculptures. These are colorful and fanciful figures carved from natural branches that depict all kinds of strange and wonderful animals and imaginary creatures," Jesus explains.

"When we set up our workshop, the panorama didn't look good but we had so many dreams. We wanted to craft only large alebrijes with special motifs. These, of course, are worth more. But the problem wasn't making them. The problem was selling them. Not many shoppers purchased them and we became discouraged. So the first two years were rough for us.

"But then we were invited to participate in a public event that the governor attended. We gave a demonstration of carving and painting and he came over to see what we were doing. He recognized the value of our work and congratulated us. And he also bought the biggest alebrije we had — a bull. We were thrilled! It was a wonderful opportunity to introduce ourselves because we were mentioned in newspapers and magazines that covered the event.

"From then on, we approached the public institutions that promoted popular art contests. We began to participate and won prizes, which gained recognition for our workshop.

"We have four children, who bring us much joy. We spend all our free time with them, whether flying a kite or taking a walk in the countryside. We want them to learn our art and to preserve and spread it. But more, we want them to grow up happy and proud. We are teaching them our craft and also teaching our cousins, nieces and nephews.

"Mastering the art of alebrijes requires practice, discipline and much love. We use copal wood for our designs. We dry, treat and sand the wood before painting the motifs by hand. Roxana is expert at decorating the sculptures and her delicate hands convey beauty, from fine geometric patterns to flowers. Her designs are unique and elegantly detailed.

"We're an artisan family and we strive to improve our skills day by day. We believe that 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.' So we take on the challenge of creating innovative designs, and we experiment with different materials, some more complex than others.

"Thankfully, we are now able to offer work to our artisan neighbors. This is important in preserving our culture and tradition as well as generating a source of income. But more than that, we help stop the migration of artisan to cities to find work, and we contribute toward making our community more prosperous."

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WOMEN S M L XL XXL
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
BUST 35 - 36 37 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48
WAIST 27 - 28 29 - 30 31 - 33 34 - 36 38 - 40
HIPS 37 - 38 39 - 40 42 - 43 45 - 46 49 - 50
MEN S M L XL XXL
CHEST 36 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48 50 - 52
WAIST 30 - 32 32 - 34 35 - 37 38 - 41 43 - 45
NECK 14 - 14.5 15 - 15.5 16 - 16.5 17 - 17.5 18 - 18.5
SLEEVE 32.5 33.5 34.5 35.5 36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE

Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.

BUST / CHEST

Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.

WAIST

Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.

LOW WAIST

Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.

HIPS

Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.

NECK

Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.

SLEEVE

Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.

INSEAM

Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.

 

Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.

For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.

For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.

See buckle/tie belt size standards below.

WOMEN S M L XL  
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
inches 26 - 30 28 - 32 31 - 35 34 - 38 38 - 42
cm 76 - 86 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

MEN S M L XL XXL
inches 30 - 34 32 - 36 35 - 39 39 - 43 43 - 47
cm 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5 109 - 119

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

Sash tie length

Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.

Belt with buckle

Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.

Belt without buckle

Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.

Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!

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UNICEF Market's artisan-direct prices are made possible through our partnership with NOVICA, a leading fair trade organization that works directly with artisans in remote regions around the world in many of the same communities where UNICEF has missions. NOVICA’s ten global Artisan Empowerment Hubs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America provide interest-free microcredit loans to artisans and help them bring their handmade creations directly to you.

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