Paint your Alebrije

Paint your Alebrije

This tour to Arrazola is a great way to experience Oaxaca outside of the city center as you will immerse yourself for a few hours in the life of a typical Oaxacan craft family! Armando and his family have been creating alebrijes for generations and can trace their artistic lineage from the beginning of the art form creation. Having the opportunity to sit, learn and be creative with them is truly unique!

If you're interested in authentic Oaxacan culture and art, this tour is for you!

Itinerary

Get to know the small village of Arrazola, where the history of the Alebrijes started. We will visit Armando Jimenez and his family, who are making Alebrijes for more than 30 years already. They will show you the entire creation process of their fantastic art: from carving the wood; making natural colors out of local fruits, insects and minerals to painting the figures in the traditional design with acrylic paint. In case it's needed, we will translate into English or German.

Now the fun part starts — time to get creative. You will choose a small plain wooden animal figure to paint yourself which could take up to 2 hours. Brushes and colors will be provided. This will be a lovely souvenir to take home and remember this experience!

Besides all this, you can also check the families gallery for more souvenirs.

After we finished in Arrazola, Katrin and Cesar will take you back to the starting point.