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. It was Armando's grandfather Manuel Jiménez, who became famous for his wooden alebrijes in 1950. You will learn here 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.
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, Cesar will take you back to the starting point.
See Availability.
Usana Distribuidor Laura Juárez, C. de Manuel García Vigil 504, RUTA INDEPENDENCIA, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., Mexico
10:00 AM
4 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : meatcat17
What an incredible experience. I had so much fun and learned so much. The opportunity to see artists at work creating beautiful animales fantasticos, and also to hear about the history of alebrijes from celebrated artist Armando Jimenez... I am so glad I did this while in Oaxaca!
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Posted On : 2024-05-18
Posted By : Rebecca M
I booked this reservation via TripAdvisor at 5:30am the morning of the tour. The app showed the schedule, and I thought “what great luck. They have a spot today!”
The app (viator) showed this was confirmed, I was given a ticket, and charged $70usd.
I showed up at the meeting spot 10 minutes early and texted the tour operator to make sure I was in the right spot. He took about 10 minutes to reply, inform me he didn’t have my reservation, and that he was booked. He also claimed I was not confirmed.
I asked for a refund and to his credit he notified Viator/Trip Advisor of the mix up on his end. However why this review turned from an annoyed incident to one worth mentioning in the reviews was Cesar proceeded to chastise me on multiple messages, told me this was my fault that I booked the day of, tried to gaslight me by saying it was never confirmed, and then told me “Try to plan in advance, people are not just waiting to serve you whenever you need, this entitlement is not acceptable anywhere in the world”. As a solo female traveler this sort of attitude and behavior is unacceptable and concerning.
If I were a traveler to ever consider this service, be prepared for rude and condescending comments even after paying top dollar for a tour that was ticketed and confirmed. If you do choose to proceed, make your reservation well in advance and confirm directly to ensure you’re not let stranded.
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Posted On : 2024-02-17
Posted By : Oscar_S
We loved learning about the history and then painting our own Alebrijes. Probably our favorite part of the whole trip!
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Posted On : 2024-01-22
Posted By : Kristin_P
What an incredible experience this was! From the drive out to Armando's home/gallery, our guide Cesar, Armando and his family inviting us into their space and hearing the history of Armando's grandfather, Armando, and now his wife and kids, continuing this intricate art form.
They are truly such a talented family! The afternoon was great, choosing our own alebrije to paint, painting in a cool space, and hearing stories from Cesar about the family and the community of artisans. Do not buy any alebrijes in town before you shop in the family gallery. Armando's prices are much less, and the craftsmanship is superb. I can't say enough about this experience!! IT IS A MUST DO/SEE!!!!
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Posted On : 2023-11-14
Posted By : Ramon_B
The whole experience was great. From the pick up point to the nice conversation on the way there with Cesar. Meeting Don Armando Jimenez and his lovely wife was awesome. He talked through the process of making the Alebrije and ultimately finishing off with painting our own Alebrije! I would totally recommend this experience!
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Posted On : 2023-09-06
Posted By : Julia_G
We loved this experience: the explanations given by Armando (and instant translation by Cesar, the very nice host of this tour) were very interesting and the painting process and creativity really what we were looking to experience. Very fun even for just adults !! Highly recommended as an alternative to more classic excursions.
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Posted On : 2023-08-23
Posted By : Laurisa M
What an incredible experience to hear the story behind the alebrijes and how the Jiménez family played such a big a part in their inception. Painting the alebrijes was so fun and I also really enjoyed the snacks and beverages provided. Would absolutely recommend as a fun cultural creative activity for anyone, any age, visiting Oaxaca.
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Posted On : 2023-08-16
Posted By : Rachel_H
Overall, this was our favorite excursion of our trip! Meeting this family was so lovely, our host Caesar was amazing, and our time spent there was so peaceful and a perfect break from our busy trip. The carvings we were given were stunning and we had plenty of time to finish the painting process. Overall, solid 10/10!
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Posted On : 2023-07-27
Posted By : SFOYYZ_Eric
It was such a fun activity with kids, or even without any kids. Armando is a master and nice to see him in action, and explain to us about his process. Highly recommended!
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Posted On : 2023-07-22
Posted By : Jonathan L
Amazing experience! We went with our two kids (9 & 5), and their grandmother. Cesar was a wonderful guide and translator, and Armando and his family are amazing artists. Armando showed us how he approaches the carving, explained his family history, and the meaning behind this beautiful art. We loved learning about Alebrijes and then painting our own pieces. We will treasure these forever!
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Posted On : 2023-07-16
