"Over the Rainbow": Fantasy Lands, Dream Worlds, and Magic Kingdoms

Background: Arte Popular Mexicano and Alebrijes

Arte popular mexicano represents the many art forms of Mexico’s rich diversity, history and imagination.⁴ Mexico is not only comprised of different ethnic groups, but a range of geographical terrain, that hosts a rich landscape of languages and traditions.  Rick Lopez refers to this in his essay titled, The Noche Mexicana and Popular Arts” and states “…To hold in one’s hand a piece of Mexican popular art is to hold something larger than a mere object; it is to hold Mexico in all its diversity, its rich past, it’s complex present, and its uncertain future.”  Mexico’s folk art, or “artesania”, can be traced back to its indigenous roots prior to the invasion of Spain, when many tribes were already trading goods with one another.  Under Spanish colonialism, these lands were renamed New Spain and many of the most valuable objects/spaces of art and worship were destroyed and replaced, along with religious idolatry.  While many objects then were made of gold, silver, and precious stones, the most valuable were made of clay⁵.  Once Europeans arrived, the looting of these objects took place, relegating many of them to Europe where they were used as tribute for kings and queens, and where today many still reside in museums.  Indigenous peoples were persecuted for practicing their art and were forced into adopting Spanish techniques for the creation of their art.  Certain forms of folk art survived and ironically Spanish missionary friars and priests promoted their production. 

The surge in arte popular mexicano is deeply rooted in post-revolutionary Mexico, beginning in the early 1920s, and tied to the development of Mexicanidad, a cultural movement led by the country’s elite politicians, artists, and intellectuals that sought to unify the nation’s fragmented and disenfranchised communities through a national agenda of identity formation that represented the mestizo.  Elevating the status of indigenous culture and history was a way of equalizing their new society.  Artists such as Diego Rivera, Dr. Atl, and Miguel Covarrubias were helping to define what this meant.  In his study, “Lo mas mexicano de Mexico:  Popular Arts, Indians, and Urban Intellectuals in Ethnicization of Post-Revolutionary National Culture, 1920-1972”, Lopez states, “Popular arts were singled out as one of the most authentic manifestations of the national soul, and were therefore a focus of the project to create an ethnicized Mexican identity.”⁶ In order for artesania to be considered arte popular mexicano, artisans had to embark on the creation of unique pieces of work created solely by hand utilizing traditional craft methods.  According to Beezley, “Despite their support for artesania, many of these individuals did not consider handicrafts to be art.  They saw them as examples of native intuition, genius, and tradition but not individual talent.”  The emphasis was on developing collective meaning for the work within their particular ethnic group.  Throughout the twentieth century the government took the lead in this movement and instituted centers or programs for artisans to sell their products.  Museums too began to highlight the work as a way of elevating this art throughout the country. 

Alebrijes, a form of Mexican popular art, are the fantastical creations of Mexican artist, Pedro Linares, who in 1936 was on his deathbed and entered into a deep sleep.  In his dreams, he traveled to an unknown forest in which the landscape morphed into unrecognizable animals, each one a combination of more than one animal.  They surrounded him and repeatedly chanted “Alebrijes!” as he attempted to leave this place.  He encountered a man who said he didn’t belong there yet and showed him the way out through a window. Upon his awakening, Linares recuperated and used his craft of “cartoneria” (similar to papier-mâché), to present these creatures to the world. 

Linares described his work in a documentary by Judith Bronowski as work inspired by macabre ideas from dreams.  Describing his process for creating these figures using the molds and free form design that he typically used in his work, he simply stated that at the moment of creation he decided which animal parts to combine stating that the figures were ugly and scary, but at once beautiful⁷.  His designs feature more of the morphed images and combination of different animal parts to construct alebrijes.  His creations reflect a broader fantastical and dreamlike approach to the work.  In his piece, “Alebrije” featured in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Mexican Art, we see a creature standing on hind legs that resemble rooster legs, but lizard-like hands with five fingers on either side.  The head is proportionately much larger than the body that is positioned in a human-like pose.  The head is not that of a lizard, but of another creature that could be part human or animal, with jagged teeth and a long lizard tongue.  It features pointed ears similar to that of a coyote.  Its body also carries wings patterned with a landscape design that is repetitive.  Once observed, the object is emblematic of its origin and story, while open to be interpreted in countless ways through personal connections and contexts.  Linares’ creations were so well received that they caught the attention of art collectors and prominent artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.  Soon his art form, shared until then with his family who were involved in the process of creating and painting these creations, spread to wood carvers of several regions, including the state of Oaxaca. 

In 1980, Don Manuel Jimenez Lopez, a wood carver from Oaxaca began producing them from the wood of the native copal tree.  He utilized shapes, techniques, and materials rooted in his indigenous roots to paint and form the figures.  His work was so popular and sought-after by collectors and museums that other family members and soon many in his community became involved as well.  Today, numerous artists have emerged from within communities of that region including the villages of San Antonio Arrazola, San Martin Tilcajete, La Union Tejalapa, and San Pedro Cajones.⁸  The production of alebrijes has transformed the economies of these communities.  What traditionally was produced with men as sculptors and women as painters has evolved to interchange roles amongst both genders.  As this art evolved, it also helped transform the economy of local communities who have elevated this craft into fine works of art through generations of practice.  Today, alebrijes are considered one of Mexico’s many popular art forms representative of its rich tradition of folk art and celebrated on a national level through museum exhibitions, national competitions, and parades. 

In his book, Alebrijes: Masterpieces by Mexican Sculptors and Painters, Zantke describes four types of alebrijes traditionally produced by artists.  Some alebrijes are animal-like mythical creatures, some are more naturalistic with surrealist themes, others are just naturalistic, while the last category includes all wood-carved made partially by hand and partially machine-made and mass-produced sold as souvenirs.  The first two categories are typically considered genuine works of art and represent the unique imaginative elements that alebrijes have come to be recognized for.  The works of Linares and Jimenez belong to the first category of alebrijes, while artists working within the second category could incorporate ornamental and modern patterns and motifs.

The works of Maria and Jacobo Angeles highlight the ways in which artists incorporate elements of indigenous history, customs and iconography into their work.  Many of their alebrijes pay homage to the animal spirits representing the 20-day cycle of the Zapotec calendar, which correlates an animal or symbol to each of its twenty days.  These symbols or creatures reflect human characteristics that guide a person through their life.  According to Zapotec beliefs there are three animals that signify power:  the jaguar, the eagle, and the serpent.  Other elements of the world are represented through animals as well.  The element of learning is represented in the iguana, the chameleon, and possum; the butterfly, the rabbit, the deer represent the element of movement; the element of advice is represented by the dog, the hummingbird, and the frog; and the owl represents the healer.  Maria and Jacobo’s work feature many of these animals covered in design patterns and motifs that reflect Zapotec symbols and art.  Their use and combination of colors, shapes and patterns interplay to add additional layers of complexity to their design.  In addition, the use of natural pigments to paint their objects reflects their beliefs about the value they place on connections to nature.  In describing his process for creating these natural pigments, Angeles discusses how the unique colors produced connect to ideas about the world.  For example, yellow refers to legend or the village; black refers to the underworld; and red denotes power.  Jacobo also describes how vital the copal tree is to their work as wood carvers, because it allows them to make a living and create art.  He describes the tree as “sacred” and discusses how his shop, along with the larger communities participate in reforestation projects.  In several videos on his work, Jacobo makes a deliberate connection to the importance of respecting the earth and its resources as he describes the choices he makes in creating his alebrijes⁹.  In an interview conducted by Congreso Detona, Angeles also talks about how the market for popular art has changed his craft in much the same way a storyteller adapts to his/her listeners.  The animals that customers sought were not being produced, so they created them based on demand.  In discussing tradition and popular art, Maria discusses how for some time they hesitated to share their craft because of fear of appropriation.  Today she says that they’ve realized how important their work is in maintaining this tradition alive and to do so, they must teach others.  They are content with creating something positive that at once observed reminds people of their love for Mexico.