[Editorial update: Despite using reliable sources like an old story from The News, I got a few things wrong. The original alebrije creator was born in Mexico City, not Oaxaca, and was of Aztec, not Mixe, descent. Oops].
BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Oct. 23, 2009
The cardboard creations come in droves, swarming in a colorful cluster down Mexico City's most prominent thoroughfares with dragon wings, webbed feet and wiry antennas on their 100-kilogram frames.
The alebrijes are back.
For the third year in a row, the capital city's Museum of Popular Art (MAP) is putting on its Parade of Monumental Alebrijes in an effort to familiarize the world with this papier-mache artisan craft.
Nearly 120 alebrijes this Saturday will commence their 4-kilometer march in the historal center, then move to the Zócalo and down Paseo de la Reforma. They will remain on display at the Angel of Independence monument through Sunday, Nov. 8.
"Mexico City has few popular traditions in its urban areas, so we're looking to start a new tradition in the heart of Mexico so that we can make it part of our collective tradition," said MAP Director and parade coordinator Luiz Haza.
Alebrijes are multicolored creatures that mix the parts of one animal with many others.
Elsa Linares' creation, for example, features the body of a bright red fish with white frog feet, patterned bullhorns and a long tail of red-and-yellow feathers. The internal structure is built from carrizo, a Mexican bamboo traditionally used with alebrijes for its density and flexibility.
Linares, 30, has been crafting alebrijes for more than 15 years, carrying on a family tradition that started the entire artistic movement.
In the mid-1930s, her grandfather, Pedro Linares López, fell violently ill from gastronomic complications, and a high fever knocked him nearly comatose, she said, beginning the family story as she painted a thick paper horn.
The elder Linares, who died in 1992, was an indigenous Mixe artisan from the Oaxacan village San Martín Tilcajete who made piñatas, carnival masks and dolls from papier-mache.
In his fever-induced delirium, he heard a crowd of voices whispering quietly and then shouting loudly the nonsensical word "alebrije." He saw a forest filled with fantastic creatures, like donkeys with butterfly wings and multi-legged lions.
After he awoke, he reconstructed his magical visions with paper, cardboard, paste and electric colors until, eventually, a Cuernavaca gallery owner discovered his work. As famed Mexican artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo began commissioning Linares to build more alebrijes, the craftwork spread to neighboring Oaxaca villages and to Mexico City.
The tradition grew considerably after British filmmaker Judith Bronowski's 1975 documentary on Linares, who later received Mexico's National Prize for Popular Arts and Traditions for his work.
Now, alebrijes are considered the pride of Mexico's folk art repertoire. The figures are also carved from wood in less monstrous proportions.
Elsa said it was an exciting experience to participate in the alebrije parade each year because "my grandfather never imagined how far his creation would go. He never thought that it would become so popular in Mexico and even outside the country."
The parade in 2007 started with just 35 alebrijes on platforms. The 2008 parade included around 80 floats and started the Reforma run-through, attracting an estimated two million spectators, Haza said.
This year is set to include at least 117 floats and is expected to draw an even bigger audience than last year, he said, adding that the general budget this year fell around 1 million pesos. Sponsors include the National Council for Culture and Arts (Conaculta), the Mexico City government and MAP's Friends of the Museum Association.
The younger Linares said she and project partner Yeudiel Lara had committed three weeks of 14-hour days to build and paint their red "michin," the Nahuatl word for "fish." The design element, however, began immediately after the previous year's parade finished.
Ricardo Linares, who is not related to Elsa or Pedro, said he will present two alebrijes and oversee production for at least five others. His own creations will include a bird with cat paws and a snake in a conch shell with feet. They will also feature exterior mirrors to reflect the sunlight and internal lamps to glow at night.
"The alebrije symbolizes Mexico City in just one artisan piece," said the 37-year-old, adding that the parade provides a spirit of togetherness down streets often filled with political protests and marches .
Elsa noted, "Each year that more figures and artisans participate in the parade, it guarantees that alebrijes will be with us for much more time, that they will always remain relevant, and that more people will learn about them."
For more details, visit www.alebrijes.com.mx
No comments:
Post a Comment