Alebrijes: Typical gifts from Oaxaca
These strange-colored monsters or alebrijes were invented by Pedro Linares, who saw them in a dream when he was 30, and very sick.While he lay in bed, unconscious, he dreamed of a strange and different place, rather like a forest with trees, animals, clouds, sky, rocks and other things, and where all the animals had turned into odd, unknown creatures. He saw a donkey with butterflyís wings, a rooster with an eagleís head and others that all shouted the word, Alebrijes. The animals began to shout louder and louder, Alebrijes, Alebrijes, Alebrijes!The sound was terrible and he wanted to get away. A man told him that it still wasnít time for him to be there and that he would have to start walking in order to find the exit. Later, he came across a narrow window, climbed through, and suddenly awoke.When Pedro was able to get out of bed, he began to remember his dream and wanted his family...
