San Martin Alebrijes Workshop: Half-Day Carving and Painting Experience from Oaxaca
4.6
12 Ratings
San Martín Tilcajete
Experience the art of Alebrijes in San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca. Visit a workshop, learn how to carve and paint these colorful figures, and create your own unique piece. Inspired by the movie Coco. Transportation and guide included.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Taller David Hernández - Once you’re familiar with the creation of these exquisite sculptures, you’ll have the opportunity to adorn your personal alebrije with guidance from an artisan.
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Paint your own ‘Alebrije’ with provided materials
  • Comfortable travel with in-vehicle air conditioning
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information

In the town of ‘San Martin Tilcajete’, observe the creation of Alebrijes, a renowned and vibrant representation of Oaxacan-Mexican cultural artistry. Take a tour of an artisan workshop where these striking figures are carved and colored. Experience painting your own Alebrije and put your creativity on display by crafting a one-of-a-kind piece. These whimsical figures sparked ideas for the creators of the popular film, ‘Coco’. Following this artistic adventure, an expert will guide you to let your creativity take flight. Carry home not just your exclusive Alebrije, but also cherishable memories from an enriching day tour. The package includes transportation and the services of a local guide.

  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Location
Taller David Hernández
8 de Octubre
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(12 Ratings)
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Samuel_l
Nov 17, 2022
A relaxing painting experience - They provided a pick up to and from our airbnb, they arrived early. Once we got to the site, Joseph gave us a tour of their workshop and their paintings, and we ended with choosing our own models to paint. I chose a bird and my wife choose an elephant. One of their best artists was our teacher and gave us tips on how to get our models exactly how we wanted them. My wife really enjoyed the experience and it was a really relaxing atmosphere.
Review provided by Viator
Jessie_b
Oct 2, 2022
Book it! You won’t regret - transportation was very comfortable, our translator was excellent, & the people at the workshop were so kind and welcoming. They gave us mezcal, homemade chocolates, and a hot chocolate drink. Highly recommend for an intimate and authentic experience!
Review provided by Viator
S6678sxlesliea
Mar 18, 2021
Tour and Alebrije Painting Class - The David Hernandez taller is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. You’ll be amazed at the talent the artisans have. The tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable, the painting class was very fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meg_h
Nov 14, 2019
Excellent 1/2 day experience - If you are interested in the art behind the traditional alebrijes in Oaxaca. This trip was terrific! Great driver. Fun day!
Review provided by Viator
Susan
Jun 30, 2019
Ms - This was a really great opportunity to see very talented people at work. Our whole family enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rose
Nov 7, 2018
Excellent Oaxacan Cultural Experience - This tour is a must for anyone visiting Oaxaca and learn about the art of Alegrijes. We visited the artist workshop, learned all about how they make the this wonderful art form. We had the opportunity to paint our own creatures. For a little extra the tour guide took us to a wonderful place to have lunch, a true authentic Oaxacan foodie expereince.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger267296
Oct 25, 2018
What a great day! - Everyone was on time and ready for us to learn how those famous "alebrijes" were made...from a raw piece of copal wood, the shape and size of which inspire the sculptor.Then comes the painting and what a miracle this is, and what detail they can accomplish with one hair brush. Trying ourselves at painting a small animal in two hours makes you quickly believe in the super talent of these painters trained for 6 months at 10 hours work day to achieve the best. After this experience our eyes are trained to the best and we can appreciate the differences and understand the high prices they commend.
Review provided by Viator
Vicandrh45
Sep 7, 2023
So much fun - This was such a fun tour. You select your Alebrije and get to paint it. I wish they had more Alebrije options. But definitely must do. Everyone there is so talented.
Review provided by Viator
Lilap25
Feb 22, 2020
Supporting the Arts - We deeply appreciated this introduction to the carving and painting of alebrijes. Our guide was informative and took great care in making sure we understood what he was saying. The wood, the carving, the many steps in between and the painting were quite amazing, informative and fascinating. Many hands and talented people creating beauty and keeping alive the tradition. This was only a introduction to a long standing art but a good beginning. We all painted our own alebrejes after and continued to talk about what we learned. We share this visit with a family who had 2 children apx 9 and 11 and they seemed to enjoy this workshop immensely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tourist623345
Jan 17, 2022
This is an Alebrijes tour and shopping experience not a creative workshop - We enjoyed learning about the complex process of creating Alebrijes and witnessing these amazing artists at work. Now we understand that most of the Alebrijes that plentifully occupy market stalls, tiendas, and even airport gift shops are cheap copies of these incredibly intricate works of art. Unfortunately, we were expecting to spend time in a workshop creating our own works of art. All 3 of us who attended are creative artists and we were excited to participate in creating Alebrijes, not just buy them in the gallery. We were given very few choices of samples to paint. All 3 of us ended up having to paint the same figure (snake). We were given only 25 minutes for the whole painting experience, while the samples placed in front of us for pattern and reference inspiration obviously took many hours. The paint palette we were working from was crusted over. An employee stood over us watching (presumably to help?) which was unnerving and she managed to bump the work table a couple of times which caused our carefully done work to smear. It was very disappointing to be given unlimited time to shop but very limited time to create. This "workshop" would work for a young child who only wants to play around with paints for a few minutes and does not care about the finished piece. We DID buy a beautiful Alebrije and we respect the work this family is doing. They just need to rename the workshop or change the format.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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