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Arrazola Alebrijes: Oaxacan Craft Family Experience
4.8
70 Ratings
Oaxaca de Juárez
Immerse yourself in traditional Oaxacan crafts with a local family in this engaging Alebrije Painting Workshop. Experience authentic Oaxacan culture and art outside the city center!
Immerse yourself in traditional Oaxacan crafts with a local family in this engaging Alebrije Painting Workshop. Experience authentic Oaxacan culture and art outside the city center!
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Taller de Alebrijes Armando Jimenez Casa Tlacuache - 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…
- Taller de Alebrijes Armando Jimenez Casa Tlacuache - 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.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Bottled water
- Paint and brushes
- Snacks
- Small animal figure to paint yourself
- Private transportation
- Bottled water
- Paint and brushes
- Snacks
- Small animal figure to paint yourself
Additional Information
This tour to Arrazola offers a wonderful opportunity to explore Oaxaca beyond the city center, allowing participants to spend a few hours immersed in the life of a traditional Oaxacan craft family. Armando and his family have been crafting alebrijes for generations, with a rich artistic heritage tracing back to the inception of this art form. The chance…
This tour to Arrazola offers a wonderful opportunity to explore Oaxaca beyond the city center, allowing participants to spend a few hours immersed in the life of a traditional Oaxacan craft family. Armando and his family have been crafting alebrijes for generations, with a rich artistic heritage tracing back to the inception of this art form. The chance to sit, learn, and create alongside them is genuinely special.
For those interested in genuine Oaxacan culture and art, this tour is perfect!
Location
Usana Distribuidor Laura Juárez
Calle de Manuel García Vigil
We pick you up in front of the restaurant Gozobi (Garcia Vigil 504, Oaxaca, MX 68000) in downtown Oaxaca. It's really close to the Santo Domingo Church :)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(70 Ratings)
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Marikie_e
May 17, 2026
Educational. Fun. Very social experience. - Educational and fun.
Well organized.
Wonderful to meet art icons in person and learn from them.
Learning about the history of this unique family and their contribution to the establishment of Oaxaca folk art not only in the Mexico but also globally was a privilege.
The family art studio experience is great - and being able to ask questions and view their art made this very special.
We were also given permission to take photographs after receiving explanations of the family's style of patterns.
I loved that I could go home with my own painted piece of art that was carefully wrapped.
Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Dredre424
May 12, 2026
You must do this if you visit Oaxaca! - Day starts with meeting at a convenience spot in the center of town. You were then driven about 30 minutes outside of the city to a small municipality where you learn about the history of alebrije’s from a third generation artisan. You then given your own figuring to paint. You can do whatever you want and they feed you snack snacks of memelas and a drink. You also have the option of purchasing alebrijes of various sizes from the artisans themselves. We returned to the city by 2:30 in the afternoon. Overall, it was a great experience meeting new people and learning new things. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samanthasp7959qu
Apr 23, 2026
A Must Do in Oaxaca - This is an absolute must when visiting Oaxaca! We learned about the history of Alebrije from the Jimenez family while receiving a live tutorial from the grandson of the creator of this beautiful art style. Then, we spent most of our time using the techniques we were taught to paint our hand sculpted Alebrije, leaving you with a custom one of a kind art piece! There are existing art pieces for sale made by the Jimenez family of various sizes and prices, making it affordable to take home such a lovely Oaxacan treasure. Our guide, Cesar, made the experience 10/10. He translated everything into English for us, shared the rich history of Oaxaca and offered plenty of excellent recommendations for the rest of our time here. You won’t regret this experience, but you will regret missing out!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexandria_f
Mar 30, 2026
Family Friendly Fun - We had an amazing time making alebrijes - everyone in our family enjoyed the tour and getting a chance to make our own. We bought some beautiful pieces from their gallery and enjoyed sitting on the patio painting alongside the artists. I was worried my 4 and 6 year old would be too young to paint and enjoy it but they made some beautiful art and when they were done, the tour guide gave them homemade popsicles which they loved! Great family friendly activity and the best part if you get to take a piece of Oaxaca home with you. Cannot recommend enough!
Review provided by Viator
Jodi_s
Jan 4, 2026
This was a fantastic... - This was a fantastic experience with Cesar and the Jiménez family. My kids’ favorite experience in Oaxaca! We loved learning the history of the alebrijes, the painting and carving techniques and got to leave with such a unique souvenir. Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Whitney_f
Dec 28, 2025
Authentic alebrije experience - My mom and I had such an amazing time getting to learn about the legacy of the Jimenez family and alebrije making at their workshop! If you’re visiting Oaxaca, don’t skip this alebrije making workshop! We were debating between this one in Arrazola or going to San Martin but so glad we went with this instead. It was a ton of fun too. We definitely want to come back the next time we visit Oaxaca.
Review provided by Viator
Da
Nov 13, 2025
A brilliant trip for anyone interested in alebrijes and artisans in Oaxaca - We really enjoyed this alebrije painting experience. It was a small group experience and we got picked up from a convenient place in Oaxaca city by Cesar who was so friendly and informative. At the start, Armando gave us an introduction to the craft and it was a true honour to hear the story of his grandfather and how this craft has been passed down generations. We then worked alongside his family painting our own alebrijes. If you’re creative this is definitely a trip for you! Thank you Cesar and all the Jiminez family.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phil_d
Nov 11, 2025
Great Cultural Experience - We had an amazing time on our tour and can't say enough great things about our tour guide, Cesar! He was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the rich history and traditions of Mexican culture with us. We learned so much about the significance of alebrijes and had a blast painting our own wooden figurines. The experience was truly unforgettable and allowed us to take a piece of Oaxacana's vibrant culture back home with us.
Cesar's expertise and enthusiasm made the experience even more enjoyable, and we appreciated the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the local art and traditions. Thank you, Cesar, for an incredible experience!
Review provided by Viator
Nancy_d
Nov 2, 2025
César was a blast. Good... - César was a blast. Good sense of humor. Lots of cultural history to share.
Puntual.
Very comfortable to be with the Jimenez family
Review provided by Viator
Krisbl8343wr
Nov 2, 2025
Really nice traditional experience - Great explanation of the carving process and tradition. Painting the animals was very fun and allowed our own artistic expression. Light snack provided.
Review provided by Tripadvisor