Mexican Folk Art Woodcarving Alebrije Fortune Wheel Folkloric Art Oaxaca Toy

“I came up with the idea as a toy for children,” says Mexican master wood carver Agustin Cruz Tinoco.

As Mr. Agustin watches children and their imaginations run wild in the Oaxacan countryside along the wild cactuses, as he once did many years ago, he recalls that special time of uninhabited childhood dreaming and innocence.

Portraying his sense of humor and mischief in this work, he captures the essence of the world through the eyes of a child. Capturing the essence of imagination where human figures with animal heads ride a cactus fortune wheel.

Materials and technique
Used by the mystic cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and gathered from the Southern Mountain Range of Oaxaca, local farmers bring the aromatic copal wood to the Cruz family workshop for its use in artisan wood carving. Considered sacred by the Zapotecs, copal takes only five years to grow, and its easy reforestation makes this art form environmentally sustainable.

Master artisan family team The Cruzs – Mr. Agustin and his two daughters Socorro and Edilma – worked for 2 months to complete this beautiful piece. Within the team, Agustin Sr. gives movement and expression to the wood, first by using the machete for the main parts and then smaller knives for the fine touches, and ends by sanding and polishing the final details. Socorro and Edilma then take over and let their imagination flow, painting the piece with bright colors and transforming it into a jewel for the eye to see.

Made in Oaxaca, Mexico.