Alebrije painting

Also known as Alebrijes de Oaxaca

Alebrijes are carved wooden fantasy creatures from the valley of Oaxaca in Mexico. Once the figure is carved and sanded, painters cover its body with fine dots, lines, leaves and bands in saturated colour, the two sides of the animal matching each other.

Play the preview About this tradition

Alebrije painting: photograph by Álvaro de la Paz Franco — Photo: Álvaro de la Paz Franco, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Alebrije painting: the game in attract mode

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How to play

Pick a colour and a mark from the strip under the panel: dots, leaves, key bands, zigzags, diamonds and stripes.
Tap a square to paint it: the matching square on the other side of the body is painted for you.
Match the small sample above the panel as closely as you can, then press Check.

Rules at a glance

The panel stands for the body of one creature: whatever you paint on the left is mirrored on the right.
A square scores only when both its mark and its colour match the sample.
Painting the same mark and colour again, or using the eraser, clears a square.
Three stars need a near-perfect match; undo and clear are free.

About the tradition

Alebrijes were first made in Mexico City in the 1930s and were carved in wood by families of Arrazola, San Martin Tilcajete and nearby villages in Oaxaca, where painting is still a family craft with its own signature patterns.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of The Americas: Mesoamerica.

Credits

Pattern design: World Heritage Games (original)
Photo: Álvaro de la Paz Franco, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.

Sources

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tres_alebrijes.jpg

Get the app

Alebrije painting is one of 20 paper and paint crafts in the Paper & Paint of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 20 paper and paint crafts in the app

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