ADVENT CALENDAR 2025

December 1

ALEBRIJES NATIVITY   

San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico
Painted copal wood
Late 1990s 

The term alebrijes was coined by Pedro Linares (1906–1992). In the 1930s, while Linares was sick in bed with a high fever, he dreamed about fantastic creatures such as a donkey with butterfly wings and a lion with an eagle’s head. In his dream, each animal was shouting the word “alebrijes!” Once recovered from his illness, Linares began making the creatures from cardboard and papier-mache and selling them. Alebrijes carvings, now internationally known, are the best-selling Mexican folk art in the United States.

Artisans of the Oaxaca Valley make alebrijes figures using the wood of the local copal tree. This wood is believed by some to possess magical properties. Men do the carving, and women do the painting. The animals in this Nativity represent the traditional ox and donkey familiar from European Nativity scenes but have been carved and painted in the style of the fantastic alebrijes creatures.

Gift of Frank and Mary Herzel 

Glencairn Museum’s World Nativities exhibition runs from November 28, 2025, to January 25, 2026. Visit us at Follow the Star: A 2025 Advent Calendar.